The importance of Self-awareness

Hello!

Cheers to the start of Therapy Thursdays! I’m excited to be sharing thoughts, ideas, experiences, tips, and/or techniques that could help those in need of reflection. If you’re reading this, then you are probably looking for an answer to something. Keeping this in mind, I want to offer the most simple and general tools for you to create your own therapeutic toolkit.

I think bringing awareness to a problematic way of thinking is the first step in changing that unhealthy behavior. So, this week I wanted to start the Therapy Thursday blog with the importance of self-awareness and acknowledgement.

Although some people are aware of a behavior they want to change, others are not. If you are one of those people that do know what behavior you wish to change, then I would like to challenge you to dig a little deeper. What behavior is it? What triggers the behavior? When does the behavior intensify? Who are the victims of the behavior? What are the pros and cons from the behavior?

However, if you are unaware of what behavior is most problematic, then that’s totally fine too. If you are this person, then I challenge you to think about what we call the “miracle question”. Suppose you woke up one morning and by some miracle everything you ever wanted, everything good you could ever imagine for yourself, had actually happened and your life had turned out exactly the way you wanted it. What would you notice around you? What will you feel inside? What would other people notice about you? What will you hear and see? From there, you can assess which parts of your life might be better suited for positive change.

Knowing that you have an issue is only part of the acknowledgement. Understanding the consequences (both negative and positive), triggers, and significance of your behavior is also a part of self-awareness. I hope this brought some answers, insight, and/or peace for you. Thank you for reading and stay awesome. Talk soon!

Madison