3 Tips for Developing Awareness

Awareness, it’s the topic of so much conversation at the moment and something that so many of us are so desperate for!  True awareness is hard to come by in a world that moves so fast and with everyone serving so many different intentions, it’s no wonder so many of my clients are experiencing such a variety of difficult feeling and emotions.

(Photo Shawn. K, Goalpost. 2017)

Anxiety in itself is not a negative thing, at its earliest stages, it is just our body trying to get our attention, trying to get us to attune to something that needs a bit of loving care.  The best way to develop awareness is to learn how to listen to our own instincts, to distinguish between what is our voice and what might have been placed there along the way.

A simple way to start this process is to engage in our own decision-making, add a bit of intentionality into our thoughts which will provide some clarity and focus to our thinking.  Here are 3 steps to help you think about how to develop your own self-awareness.

Perspective

Remember that you are in charge of your own perspective and can choose what things to let in your life.  It is OK to let things go that do not serve you,  if something  affects you negatively it may be time to let it go, or change the way you are approaching that thing. For me it is the news,  it affects me so much that I cannot watch the mainstream news, I seek out information when I want it but I can’t trickle feed it into my daily life.  Once I let it go I felt much better, do I still sometimes get down at the state of the world? Of course! but it has given me some control back.

Also, it’s important to remember that not all relationships are meant to last forever.  People come into our lives, we engage with each other, hopefully we grow and often times they come to a natural end.  However, social media means that we have constant communication with people who perhaps we’ve grown out of? It’s important to know that you are in charge of your own happiness and it is so important to understand that some things serve us and some things don’t and that is perfectly ok.

Practice Loving Kindness

It is this simple, the golden rule, treat others as you would like to be treated.  If it doesn’t feel nice to you, chances are it won’t feel nice to others either.  So go on, go a little out of your way each day for one other person, give a smile, hold a door, reign in your annoyance or temper.  One thing counselling has taught me is that we never know what the person next to us is going through, it’s best to just treat each other with gentle kindness.

While you’re at it, why don’t you turn some of that loving kindness in on yourself? Why is it that we can be so nice to others and then treat ourselves so badly? Sometimes I say things to myself that I would never say to another human being in a million years, so why do I use this sort of self talk with myself? Kindness starts inside, treat yourself the way you deserve, with absolute and utter respect and so much love…the grace will follow.

Acceptance

Accepting full responsibility for our own well-being and recognising that people are in fact as equally responsible for their own.  When we are able to accept our own strengths and weaknesses, embrace them wholeheartedly and love those characteristics in equal measure we truly begin to settle nicely in our own skin.  It’s tough, really tough.  Think about that one thing that you’ve always wanted to change about yourself and try to send it some love and compassion, not easy but it is a practice that will change your life.

Perhaps even more difficult than self-acceptance? Accept those around you, genuinely and openly accept that they are them and you are you and that it is OK.   There are some people that we will simply never understand, they will not make sense, but accepting that person is different and then believing that it is OK will open up a world of peace in your daily life.  It is so easy to get very wound up about how other people live there lives, but often it is because it is easier to pass judgement on others than to hold the mirror of righteousness up to our own face.  We are all individuals, we are all unique and I for one am so grateful for that diversity of life.