Your Self-Awareness Journey

A psychoanalytic investigation is a complex and nuanced journey into one's delicate heart.-Galit Atlas, PhD

One reason people come to therapy is to get to know the truth of who they are. A next step is to live from that truth on a daily basis, not only during extraordinary circumstances.

Below are some questions to ask yourself as you continue on your self-awareness journey.

4 Questions to Ask Yourself As You Begin

Your Self-Awareness Journey

How do I handle strong emotions?

Our body signals similar sensations for both anticipation and anxiety, as well as passion and frustration. However, our mindset plays a crucial role in determining how we respond to these sensations. We have the power to generate momentum for positive change or get caught up in a mental loop. It all depends on how we choose to respond. 

Stress arises from many different kinds of situations, both good and bad life events and transitions trigger stress. We can learn a lot about ourselves from looking more closely at our emotional regulation skills and habits.

When emotions are elevated are you able to calm yourself?

What techniques or coping skills do you use?

Are your soothing techniques healthy for you and do they work?

When emotions become overwhelming or life circumstances feel overwhelming, how do you return to solid ground?

What are my boundaries like?

 Our boundaries are the way we define what is acceptable and unacceptable in relationships. We will tend to have different boundary settings for different relationships. Look at the different categories of relationships you are a part of.

Are you boundaries porous, healthy, or rigid?

Porous Boundaries: We have difficulty saying "No", are over-trusting, avoid conflict by giving in to others, are indiscriminate in who we allow close to us and with whom we share our most personal selves.

Healthy Boundaries: We say "No" when appropriate, we are selective about with whom we share our most private matters and selves, we support others without becoming overly involved, and accept that conflict is a part of a normal healthy life.

Rigid Boundaries: Keep people at a distance and are very untrusting of others, inflexible when it comes to roles and rules, and handle conflict by keeping people farther away.

How do I handle Intimacy?

Do you believe you can have a balance of intimacy and autonomy in a relationship or that one always comes at the expense of the other?

Do you fear being smothered by another person?

Are you worried your commitment to others will not be returned?

Do you trust others?

Do you trust your own choices?

Do you enjoy your own company?

 How do I treat the people I know well?

What are you like to live with?

Are you judgmental with the people you are close to or the choices they make?

Are you consistently considerate with those who matter the most to you? 

Taking time to increase your awareness of your self can help you to live intentionally and to be the best person you can be.

You can read about and do a journaling exercise on Core Beliefs by going here.

You are hard-wired to be self-connected.  You need only open the inner door to access to the creative part of you. Self-connection is a game changer. To find out more about how I can help you make this essential connection, read more here.