When was the last time you’ve sat yourself down and talked about your genuine worries, concerns and innermost feelings? How often do you find yourself turning to social media and other distractions, in an attempt to avoid facing yourself?
As someone with a bit of a type-A personality, I often find myself constantly keeping myself busy, guilt-tripping myself for using any free time on “self-indulgent” things like relaxing or lazing around.
“I have too many things I want to do, and too little time!”
As a result, I’ve found myself absolutely incapable of pausing to reflect on how I’m feeling, or thinking about what I genuinely want and need until I hit a breaking point and then realise, “Oh, damn I’ve been overwhelmed and stressed the entire time”.
We are so often preoccupied with our day to day activities that we don’t really spend time with ourselves. When I talk about spending time with ourselves, I’m not referring to the mere matters of eating, sleeping, or scrolling through social media. Instead, I’m referring to the kind of quality time you’d spend with getting to know yourself better.
Self-Discovery Starts With Taking A Pause & Self-Reflecting
It was only until recently, when I’ve forced myself to take up journaling, painting and going back to meditation that I’ve learned to calm down, somewhat.
Doing these things and taking a moment to reflect, has also made me realise that you are more than just your wants and needs.
The work I once found exciting and fulfilling started feeling exhausting. My hobbies stopped being relaxing, they became yet another thing to perfect and be stressed about.
I started feeling disconnected with everything - the things I once loved, the people I’ve held dear, and then I asked myself the question, “Is this the kind of life I want to live?”
More importantly, “Is this the kind of person I want to be?”
My natural, scripted answer was “I want to be happy. I want to live authentically”; but what does this really mean?
Accept Your True Self By Living Authentically
Living authentically is not merely a matter of doing what I want, or pursuing what I want. It’s also not a matter of trying to live up to an ideal.
To live authentically is to also accept yourself. To learn to take responsibility for your own wellbeing, and to care for yourself.
There’s nothing narcissistic or selfish about giving yourself the attention you need - introspection is key to not just your personal growth, but also emotional well-being.
Hence, it’s time you reacquaint yourself with your best and oldest friend - yourself!
How to Discover Yourself Better
Think about your best friend or loved one. What flaws do they have? What are their strengths? What do you love and hate about them? What are their dreams and aspirations?
Were you able to answer these questions with relative ease? Great! Now reflect these questions back on yourself.
What are your strengths and weaknesses? What do you love and hate about yourself? What do you aspire towards? What are your dreams?
Were you able to answer these questions just as easily? If these questions were a little difficult, we’re here to help you!
Perhaps you’re getting bored or tired of run-of-the-mill questions like “What are your flaws?”. If you are, here are a bunch of fun questions that are a little less run-of-the-mill.
10 Fun Questions to Ask to Know Yourself Better
- Imagine your happy place. What is your happy place like?
- (Linked to previous question) Why is this your happy place?
- What was your favourite childhood memory, and why do you cherish it so much?
- Imagine yourself as a character in a story or show you like. What kind of role do you see yourself playing, and what are you like in this story?
- Suppose your life was a movie. What soundtracks do you feel would fit in this movie?
- What would your ideal retirement lifestyle be like?
- Would you rather have the ability to travel back in time or travel to the future? Why?
- What is your ideal travel destination, and what do you like about that place?
- Think of a person (fictional or non-fictional) that you idolize. What do you admire about this person?
- Do you prefer living in the countryside, suburbs, or right in the heart of the city? Why?
I hope you had fun answering these questions!