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This post is all about these 10 powerful activities for self awareness.
What if seeing yourself objectively was the skill you need to improve your life?
And if you haven’t already guessed by the title yet, I´m talking about self awareness.
Self-awareness is a crucial life skill, that helps us understand ourselves and figure out our purpose in life.
Becoming more self-aware can also help you understand your wants, needs, and desires as well as your strengths and weaknesses.
Another important thing most people don’t realize is that self-awareness is very important when it comes to success. Our thought processes and beliefs influence the way we behave and act.
And by becoming more self-aware you can identify those self-limiting beliefs and unhealthy habits keeping you from success.
So how can you develop your self awareness? Let´s take a look at these 10 powerful activities for self-awareness.
Record your ABCs to improve your self awareness
The first activity for self awareness I want to share with you is recording your ABCs.
This is a great exercise to try after any impactful event in your life. But you can also use it with everyday experiences.
If you have never heard of this exercise it consists of analyzing the way a specific experience has affected you, the way you act, and your beliefs by identifying the following things:
- A – The event that triggered your inner dialogue
- B – The belief you formed after the event
- C – Consequences or how your new belief makes you feel/act
Doing this can help you understand how you respond to stress. For example, imagine you are stuck in a long line, but you are in a rush.
You may feel anxious because you don’t want to be late for your next appointment. So you end up complaining out loud to the people around you about how long the line is taking to move.
Or you may choose to relax and put on your headphones to listen to some calming music while you wait.
In this situation, the “A” remains the same, but the “B” and “C” shows how you react and respond to stress.
While many people can experience the same activating event (A), their thought processes about it (B, C) can have a great impact on their lives.
Using the ABC model will also help you recognize your limiting beliefs, and thought processes when you are upset or mad, and change those thoughts into positive things.
Practicing mindfulness.
Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose to the present moment without any judgment of the emotions you are feeling.
People often think that mindfulness meditation -and meditation itself- is about stopping thoughts, getting rid of emotions, and controlling our minds…
But it’s more about stepping back and seeing the thoughts clearly, seeing emotions and thoughts coming and going in and out of your mind without judgment but with a relaxed and open mind.
Which is why it’s so beneficial when it comes to improving your self awareness.
Here are a couple of mindfulness practices you can include in your daily routine:
- Be mindful during your drive. Driving is a perfect opportunity to be present and practice mindfulness. And one of the simplest ways you can do this is by focusing on the road ahead. Actively think about what you are seeing: the colors, the cars, the streets, even your breath, and focus on what is happening right in front of you.
- Use the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. This method is very popular not only for mindfulness, but to improve your memory, or calm your anxiety as well. Whenever you feel disconnected from the present moment use this technique to bring yourself back to the present by thinking of:
- 5 things you can see at that moment
- 4 things you feel and touch
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
- Body scanning: Body scanning is a technique you can use in the morning or before you go to sleep while you are in bed. To use this method, lie on your back. From head to toe or toe to head, slowly focus your attention on each area of your body. Stopping at each body part to become aware of the physical sensations and emotions you feel.
- The fourth mindfulness technique is having a gratitude moment. Creating a gratitude list can help improve your well-being, as well as be mindful.
Try adding 3-5 items to your gratitude list each day and include it in your daily routine to stay consistent.
You can write your gratitude list first thing in the morning to get your day off to a great start. Or list a few things that you’re grateful for before going to sleep.
- Hobbies. Having hobbies is a fantastic way of practicing mindfulness. The great thing about these activities is that we don’t have the pressure of meeting certain expectations or responsibilities, unlike our work or other activities in our life. It’s just you and the task in front of you.
How to improve your self awareness by journaling & reflection
Writing in a journal is an effective way to examine your thoughts and behaviors.
Journaling also helps build self-discipline and allows you to express emotions that can be difficult to communicate. Remember that this practice will only work if you are honest and allow yourself to be vulnerable.
You could journal by simply writing your thoughts at the moment. Or writing about specific events in the past that have influenced you for example.
Personally, I find it harder to simply write my thoughts on paper, so I instead use journaling prompts as a way to reflect. If you too struggle with journaling or want a new approach to this practice, here are some journaling prompts to improve your self awareness:
Self-awareness questions on values and life goals
- What does your ideal “you” look like?
- What kinds of dreams and goals do you have?
- Why are these dreams or goals important?
- What is keeping you from these dreams or goals?
- Rank 5-10 of the most important things in your life in your career, family, relationships and love, money, etc.
- Now think about the proportion of time you dedicate to each of these things.
Self-awareness questions on personality
- Describe yourself in three words.
- Ask yourself if your personality has changed since childhood.
- Is your personality like either of your parents?
- What qualities do you most admire in yourself?
- What is your biggest weakness?
- What is your biggest strength?
- What things scare you?
- Do you make decisions in a logical or intuitive way?
- How would you complete the question: “What if?”.
- If I could speak to my teenage self, I would say…
- Can I come up with 20 things that make me smile?
- Two of the most impactful moments of my life were…
- When I’m in pain, the sweetest thing I can do for myself is…
- Today, I used my strengths in the following ways…
- I was most surprised when….
- The scariest day of my life was…
Self-awareness questions on relationships
- Describe your ideal intimate relationship.
- How satisfied are you in your current relationship (if you are in one)?
- Who would you call if you only had a few minutes to live? What would you say?
- Who have you loved the most?
- Of all the relationships you have had, describe the best moment.
- Describe a devastating moment when it comes to relationships.
- Ask yourself if you treat yourself better than others.
Activities for self awareness. Examining Your Values
I will never stop talking about the power of knowing and using your values.
If you have never heard of them, values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live your life.
They are the fundamental beliefs that guide your actions and determine your priorities. Values are the terms with which you determine if your life feels full, abundant, and accomplished.
And inside your values, you have your core value. These are the ones that define your biggest priority in life, the ones that when you say them out loud make you vibrate with emotion.
What I love the most about core values is that they are quite literally a life compass. Because values are the representation of what truly matters to you in life and what makes you feel happy.
Aside from this, values are also beneficial to improve your decision-making and help you establish boundaries.
You can learn more about values and 4 easy steps to discover yours in this article!
Practice Gratitude & Self-care Rituals.
Practicing gratitude and self-care activities can be instrumental in boosting self-awareness.
I know practicing gratitude can seem like an overrated practice nowadays. But the truth is that it’s as powerful and helpful as everyone preaches.
Because when you turn your gratitude practice into a habit you are intentionally choosing to focus on the good things in your life.
With so many messages out there telling you you need to do better, you need to achieve your goals, and go milestone after milestone, it´s easy to lose sense of all you have accomplished.
And although having a vision and a goal for the future is extremely important, sometimes we forget all the incredible things and people we have in our life.
So if practicing gratitude is not part of your daily routine, this is your sign to try it!
About how to practice gratitude there are many activities out there you can try, (here you can find some ideas). But my favorite one will always be using this gratitude journal right here.
It´s simple and minimalistic yet it serves the purpose, so if you are looking to try gratitude journals I highly recommend you check this one out.
Now, taking care of yourself is essential for your mental health and your self esteem. Investing in yourself will also improve your clarity, mood, and boost your self-esteem.
So I encourage you to include more self care activities in your daily routine. Or even create your personalized self care checklist with this guide right here!
Improve your self awareness by taking healthy risks
One of the best ways to know who you really are and understand who you are is by putting yourself out there.
When you get out of your comfort is when you have the opportunity to see things about yourself you never noticed or paid attention to.
That is why the sixth activity for self awareness is to take healthy risks.
Here are some ideas of health risks you could take:
- Join a club
- Begin a new activity
- Do something you are afraid of
- Change your routine
- Travel somewhere new (maybe even alone)
- Start a conversation with a stranger
- Give a compliment
- Have a date with yourself
Write a regret letter
The next practice in our list of activities for self awareness is writing a regret letter to yourself.
This exercise consists of writing a letter about your past regrets and forgiving yourself for the mistakes you have made.
Here are some journal prompts to help you get started:
- What lessons have I learned up until this point?
- Am I living this life true to MYSELF?
- Do I take enough care of my health and myself?
- What opportunities do I regret not taking?
- If I could give a message to my future self, what would I say?
Every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will, and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.
Stephen R. Covey
Self awareness activities. Write your eulogy
I know, nobody wants to think of their death before they have to. But I promise this is an incredible exercise that can help you improve your self awareness and establish your ideal self in less than 20-30 min.
And it’s as simple as writing your eulogy (a speech in special tribute to someone who has died). You can use the following prompts to help you write yours:
- How do I want people to speak of me at my funeral?
- What should they remember me for?
- Which kind of person will people think I was when I’m gone?
Doing this will help you add more purpose to your everyday activities and how you live your life and understand your higher self better.
Knowing your personality type
If you love taking online tests as much as I do, then you need to try this activity for self awareness.
When it comes to being aware, knowing your personality type will help you understand better what you need to thrive.
Another benefit of this exercise is to manage your time and energy better and help you recognize your emotions. Here are two of the best personality types tests you can try:
Activities for self awareness. Put a name to your feelings and emotions.
One bad habit that many of us have adopted is simply naming our feelings as good or bad, sad, angry, happy, excited… and that’s about it.
And you may be wondering, how does putting a name to my feelings improve my self awareness?
Well, you know the saying, knowing you have a problem is the first step to solving that problem?
Same here. Specifying what you are feeling and putting a name to your emotions will help you release the stress and resentment you are building up inside of you.
Aside from this, naming your emotions also helps you acknowledge and recognize them. Instead of bottling them up inside of you.
Here is a list of words to start expanding your emotional vocabulary.
And finally, if you are a book lover or want to learn more about self awareness, best practices, tips, etc. here is a list of book rec. you need to include in your TBR (to be read):
Probably the most famous book on this list. And one you cannot miss if you want to develop your self awareness and improve your emotional intelligence.
In this book, Daniel Goleman talks about the role of the “two brains”- the logical and the emotional. With this book, you will also learn the skills you need to improve your emotional intelligence.
Check it out on Amazon.
- Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, and Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think – Tasha Eurich
“Most people feel like they know themselves pretty well. But what if you could know yourself just a little bit better—and with this small improvement, get a big payoff…not just in your career, but in your life?”
This is what Dr. Tasha proposes with her book Insight. With this read, you will learn the different types of self awareness, how to love yourself, and the key to improving yourself and your awareness.
- How emotions are made- D. Lisa Feldam
This book about the science of emotion, written by doctor Lisa Feldam will help you better understand the anatomy of your brain and learn how to control your own emotions.
Final thoughts on activities for self awareness
And that is all for today! I hope the tips, tools, and resources in this blog will help you improve your self awareness and become your best self.
Becoming self-aware is not a single moment of inspiration. It requires continual objective reflection and constant practice. So make sure to choose activities that you can maintain in the long term.
Although we have seen many activities for self awareness in this post, remember that you don’t need to do all of them.
Choose 2-4 activities that spark your interest the most and start working with those.
Remember that you are worthy of even your deepest and wildest desire!
What were your favorite activities for self awareness? I´d love to read you in the comments!
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