Self-awareness is the ability to recognise and understand your feelings and thoughts. It is the foundation for personal growth and development. Increasing self-awareness can be done in many ways, but one of the most effective methods is mindfulness meditation.
In this article, we will discuss how to practice mindfulness meditation and how it can help us become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
Why is Self-Awareness Important?
Self-awareness is a key component of emotional intelligence. It allows us to understand our own emotions and how they are impacting our thoughts and behaviours. When we are aware of our feelings, we can better manage them and stay in control during challenging situations.
Increased self-awareness can also lead to improved mental health.
The importance of mental health awareness can hardly be overstated. We become more accepting of ourselves and others because we understand where our behaviour comes from. This leads to less stress, anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions that can cause mental health problems over time if left unchecked.
Also, skin may feel more sensitive when you’re sick, and that applies as well to mental illnesses like anxiety or depression. Working on your self-awareness can help you to manage the symptoms of those illnesses and feel more in control.
How does Mindful Meditation help Increase Self-Awareness?
Mindfulness meditation is a way to pay attention to the present moment, without any judgment or expectation. You don’t need to have access to retreat centres to practice mindful meditation. You can meditate anywhere and anytime, whether you’re at home or out in public—of course, it will be easier in designated retreat locations but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it elsewhere.
The goal is not about controlling your thoughts or feelings, but rather observing them as an outsider would observe clouds floating by on a clear day without letting what’s happening in your head affect how you act now.
This helps us to become more aware of our feelings, thoughts, and behaviours so we can better understand them. We also learn how these things affect other people.
Mindful meditation does not have any specific rules for how long or how often you should practice it. Some people choose to meditate for 20 minutes twice a day, while others may do so only once per week but with longer sessions lasting up to an hour at a time!
The key is finding what works best for your schedule and lifestyle as well as what feels most comfortable when you’re doing it. If you’re having a difficult time carving out time for yourself, we suggest looking into a meditation retreat where they will guide you through meditating as well as provide some space for self-reflection. Often held in meditation centres, these can also be run in yoga studios or at home if you want something more private.
What are the Benefits?
There are many benefits—physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual—to practicing mindful meditation and increasing self-awareness.
When you are more aware of your feelings, thoughts, and behaviours, it becomes easier to manage them. You will be able to identify the sources of those things so that they don’t control how you act in any given situation. This leads not only towards better mental health but also helps improve physical wellness too!
Additionally, if one is more mindful of what they eat and how much exercise they get, then their life will be better because it doesn’t just focus on one thing but all aspects that make up who we are as human beings.
When you become self-aware, you can also reduce stress levels in your body which leads to several different health benefits including lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and improved cardiovascular health. Finally, increased self-awareness can also lead to a greater sense of spiritual connectedness, if you are so inclined.
So How Can I Get Started?
As we’ve mentioned, mindfulness meditation is something that you can do anywhere at any time!
If you want some guidance on how to start or need a little more direction, we suggest looking into a meditation retreat. There are many different types of these out there and you don’t need to go very far from home to find one that will work for you.
If attending a physical location is not your thing or if funds are tight, check out some online courses or guided meditations that can be found with a quick internet search. Many apps can help you to get started with mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness is not a cure-all, but it can help you become more aware of your feelings and thoughts so that they don’t control how act in any given situation. This type of meditation has many benefits—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—to those who practice regularly!
The next time you feel stressed or anxious, try sitting down for five minutes and focusing on your breath. Notice how it enters through your nose and out through your mouth as if there were an invisible string tied between these two points pulling them together while keeping everything else still around you. This will help calm any negative feelings that might be bubbling up inside of us here at present moment!
Mindful meditation is a great way to increase self-awareness, but it is important not only to practice this technique regularly but also to make sure that you’re doing so with an open mind and heart. Whatever way you choose to go about it, make sure that you find time for yourself every day to do something that brings you peace and calm. The world is a noisy place and we could all use a little more peace in our lives!
Credit: Aussy Aportadera
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