Tools for Self-Awareness: Ways to Better Understand Your Emotions and Goals

Although self-awareness might seem an easy task to attain, it is not always so. In fact, we often forget to ask ourselves how we feel in the mundane, when the responsibilities overflow and distract us from the little rituals of mental self-care.

But self-awareness is not just an optional practice you can do from time to time. It is the base of your wellness. If you know exactly what state you are in and how to handle it for good, that’s when you can take good care of yourself, and, what’s more, help other people do the same!

You can use your own methods to explore your emotions and habits, or pick a few from our list below.

Journaling

This is one of the simplest and most widespread techniques of self-awareness. Journaling can take different forms, from describing how your day went to answering a ready set of questions for reflecting, like the one in this article.

Writing helps you slow down, especially when you do it with a real pen and paper, and not on your gadget. Writing things down and describing your states and feelings helps you notice your inner dialogue and even get some insights about the patterns in your reactions and behavior. This, in turn, gives you more clarity on why you act the way you do and how you can change it. Thanks to journaling, you can harmonize your behavior and become a better version of yourself.

Mood tracking

This practice is often underestimated due to its simplicity. too. But in fact, it is another great method of noticing emotional and behavioral patterns.

Liven app reviews state that tracking the mood is a working method of raising self-awareness. You can either do it in your Notes or try some specialized apps.

Using a mood tracker or simply noting your emotional state throughout the day helps you see your patterns—what lifts you up, what drains you, and how your environment affects you.

For example, you come to work and notice irritation. You write it down, marking both your feelings and location, and after a couple of weeks, you start noticing the pattern: your emotions are mainly negative when you arrive at the office.

When you know things like this, it gets easier for you to take more precise steps towards inner peace.

Mindfulness exercises

How mindful are you during the day? Do you usually make automatic actions, or are you fully present in each moment of the process?

Small and easy mindfulness exercises can help you think more clearly and learn new things about yourself.

You can start with something little. For example, simply slow down: literally, do things slower, whatever they are. If you are walking—don’t rush; if you are doing the dishes—move more slowly and pay closer attention to each plate, fork, and cup. This way, you will notice much more around you, think about how you feel at the moment, and even get a different perception of time. It will likely seem to you that more time has passed, although in reality it would probably be just a few minutes.

Another exercise worth trying is thinking about the task you are doing, and not letting your thoughts jump to anything else. This is a harder one, but it helps you focus, trains your discipline, and, most importantly, it gives you insights into what you are trying to avoid and why.

“Why?” laddering

This technique is perfect for revealing the deeper emotional roots behind your actions, and it is so easy to perform.

So,what you have to do is take one problem that bothers you, and ask yourself five questions about it, each of them being just ‘why?’

For example: ‘I’m afraid of giving public speeches.’

Why are you afraid of it?

‘Because if I fail, everyone will laugh at me.’

Why will they laugh?

Because they will think I’m pathetic.

Why would they think so?

Because I wouldn’t be able to speak confidently.

Why wouldn’t you speak confidently?

Because I have never done it before.

Here, you can even stop at four whys, because the reason for your fear is already clear. And the way to overcome it is clear, too! All you have to do is act.

Therapy

Self-help methods do work well and raise your self-awareness, but sometimes you need more than that. Turning to trained professionals is always an option, especially if you notice that you can’t handle your troubles on your own. A specialist can help you uncover the blind spots on your healing journey and offer some effective techniques you wouldn’t find on the Internet. Working with a therapist, you can make your progress go faster and make your results really last.

Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help, but make sure you pick your specialist carefully and mindfully.

Final word

Understanding yourself can be hard,especially in times when we are so influenced by social media and other people’s opinions. We hardly even recognize our emotions anymore! And that is when it’s time to gain self-awareness.

You can use various techniques to get to know yourself better. From journaling to therapy, try and use anything that works for you. The more open you are to new experiences, the faster you can achieve that state when you can surely say: I know myself, my goals, and my source of inner harmony.