British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy
Being self – aware can enable the counselor to mark their ‘ego boundaries,’ and successfully discriminate between what belongs to them and what belongs to their clients. Secondly, self – awareness enables the counselor to make a ‘conscious use of the self ‘. Every form of psychotherapy has methods to enhance awareness .
Observing one’s thoughts, feelings, decisions, roles, relationships, and so on, builds self – awareness . Doing this in the presence of a counsellor provides objectivity to the observation. The importance of an objective observer such as a therapist in developing self – awareness is shown in research.
Self – awareness is defined as having conscious knowledge about one’s own feelings, personality, motives, desires, etc. This implies knowing and understanding them, which is generally achieved through introspection.
Self awareness is important because when we have a better understanding of ourselves, we are able to experience ourselves as unique and separate individuals. We are then empowered to make changes and to build on our areas of strength as well as identify areas where we would like to make improvements.
6 Examples of Self – Awareness in Everyday Life You can identify your emotions and what you’re feeling. You can recognize your primary coping mechanisms. You can define your own beliefs without being influenced by others. You can prioritize what gives you joy. You can identify your strengths and shortcomings. You can know what you need in your relationships.
Below, I will present three types of self – awareness : indexical, detached, and social self – awareness . that is necessary to entertain a full range of thoughts about oneself.
Awareness of people’s differences from you, as well as your own unique characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, allows you to be more open minded and less judgmental. By being aware of others and your own strengths and weaknesses, you can build confidence and realize that your differences are okay too !
10 Benefits of Self Awareness: More Empathy Toward Others. More empathy toward others is one of the most important benefits of self-awareness. Better Listening Skills. Improved Critical Thinking Skills. Improved Decision Making. Better Leadership Abilities. More Self-Control. Increased Creativity. Increased Ability to Change Habits.
Self – awareness is the ability to monitor your own emotions and reactions. Self – awareness allows you to know your strengths, weaknesses, triggers, motivators and other characteristics.
Look at yourself objectively. Keep a journal. Write down your goals, plans, and priorities. Perform daily self – reflection . Practice meditation and other mindfulness habits. Take personality and psychometric tests. Ask trusted friends to describe you. Ask for feedback at work.
Below you’ll find 12 self – awareness exercises to help you to get to know yourself better. Apply Feedback Analysis. Take Psychometric Tests. Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses. Ask People You Trust for Feedback. Listen to Your Self -Talk. Keep Morning Pages. Label Your Emotions. Have a Life Vision and Mission.
How to Improve Your Self Awareness ? Evaluate & Understand Your Desires. An important part of self – awareness is understanding why you want the things you do. Practice Doing Things for Yourself . Acknowledge Your Feelings. Understand Your Emotional Triggers. Reflect. Why You Need Self – Awareness .
When you know yourself , you understand what motivates you to resist bad habits and develop good ones. You’ll have the insight to know which values and goals activate your willpower. Tolerance and understanding of others. Your awareness of your own foibles and struggles can help you empathize with others.
Self – awareness is part of an intelligence that is far more important than book smarts and forms part of the golden quadrant of emotional intelligence . They were good at understanding their own emotions ( self – awareness ) They were good at managing their emotions ( self -management)