Steps to Self-Discovery
Self-discovery is a key element of feeling happy and content in life. Understanding yourself on a deeper level can help you to make more informed decisions that will shape your future happiness. There are a number of methods and techniques that help in the self-discovery journey. Here we explore some of the most practised, effective and fun methods.
Take a Mindfulness Course
Mindfulness can play a key role in your self-discovery journey. Learning techniques that will enable you to pay more attention to yourself and reflect upon the present moment, rather than the past or future. Mindfulness itself can come in many shapes and forms, such as practising meditation, self-reflection or and mindful exercise. You could join a local mindfulness class or sign up for a course. Or just educate yourself on the topic by reading a book or mindfulness article.
Schedule More ‘YOU’ Time
When you’re leading a busy life, it can be easy to forget to make a bit of time to spend doing the things important to you and that you’ve maybe lost your love for. By the time you’ve gone to work, cooked dinner and taken care of any other family responsibilities like putting the kids to bed, you might just want to head to bed yourself. However, it is really important to remember to spend some time doing the activities that make you happy, whether it is drawing a relaxing bath or attending a yoga class.
Take a Personality Test
Some people struggle with self-reflection and understanding what makes them react the way they do in certain situations. Taking a personality test will help you to gain a better understanding of your own personality and how it affects your whole life and decision-making. You might find out a lot more about yourself. And you can even try an Emotional Type quiz which can help you to deal with any pain you might go through.
Find Your Passion
Whether its something you’ve always wanted try since you were a child. Or a hobby you’ve wanted to start. Take the time for yourself to go for it. From painting at home to travelling the world, igniting passion and an excitement in an interest is great for the soul and will help you on your road to self discovery.
Try something you’ve always wanted to do. Learn a language or how to play the guitar. You can find lessons online or just type guitar lessons near me into a search engine and you’ll be playing that first chord before you know it. And if it isn’t for you and doesn’t make your heart sing, don’t fret. Feel happy you tried it and move on. The important thing is to find something that makes you feel alive.
Keep a Journal
Buy yourself a journal and spend five or 10 minutes each day reflecting on your thoughts and actions. Research shows that keeping a journal can help to reduce stress, manage anxiety and cope with depression, helping you to prioritise and tackle your problems. While people who choose not to practice self-reflection often rely upon bottling up their emotions until they become too overwhelming to cope with. By keeping a daily record of your emotions, you will be instinctively conscious of any concerns and problems that you need to address. And you’ll feel more comfortable within yourself when tackling them.
Self-discovery can be the starting point for a whole new lease of life, it can help to aid in the journey of tackling your mental health, or simply enable a person to reflect on their situation to make the best choice for their future. By taking these five steps to self-discovery, you could soon find greater clarity and bring meaningful happiness into your life.
Written by Chloe Bradford. Chloe has been working as a freelance writer for over five years. Her educational background in journalism and personal life has given her a broad base from which to approach a variety of topics. When she is not writing you will find her exploring different countries and cultures.
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