#68: Three Benefits of Self-Awareness for Your Emotional and Mental Health

While I'm not a licensed psychologist nor a psychiatrist, I've experienced and swear by the benefits of practicing self-awareness.

When going through tough times, my knee-jerk reaction is to blame the world and everyone around me. But when the emotions subside, I look inward. There I look at my faults and flaws with fresh eyes, examining where I went wrong, why I reacted a certain way, and how I could do and be better.

Through the years, I've learned to do this—not for self-flagellation but to grow and change for the better, with compassion. Here the three benefits I've noticed from doing so:

1. Calm and clarity. By observing my patterns and reflecting on my ways, I learn to look at my shortcomings with grace and be gentle with myself knowing that I did the best I could at the time. Gaining a better understanding of myself also calms me down because I get to make peace with my flaws, move forward, and do better.

2. Less anger, more forgiveness. Self-awareness stops the blame game. When we stop pointing fingers and start taking responsibility for our own actions instead, it's easier to release the tension and forgiveness—for myself and others.

3. Resilience. By taking the time to assess ourselves gently yet honestly, we get to know ourselves better and become emotionally and mentally stronger.

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Hi, and thanks for reading! I'm Kishly, a cheerleader of creatives and copywriter turned marketing strategist. Bookmark this blog to read my daily atomic essays on marketing, compassionate productivity, creative living, and lifelong learning. Or subscribe to Process, my weekly-ish newsletter for young adults (and the young at heart) in pursuit of wisdom and wonder. ✨