Self-awareness is one of the most important qualities you can develop. It’s about understanding your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and motivations toward learning and academic activities. Self-aware people understand who they are and how other people are likely to perceive them. The more self-aware you are, the better you can navigate life’s challenges, improve yourself and your relationships, and make choices that align with your values and academic goals. But how can you actually build this awareness in your day-to-day life? This blog shares steps you can take to become better aware of who you are and who you want to be.
1. Be Curious About Yourself and Your Impact
Becoming more self-aware is a process of noticing, questioning, and learning. Personality assessments are an excellent place to start, and it can be fun to see what they reveal. Truity and 16personalities are two popular sites, but there are many places you can find these tests online. Once you have the results, think about how they might be impacting your past and more recent actions, thoughts, and even your selection of your major and your academic goals.
Beyond personality tests, try to check in with your thought processes and motivations throughout the day. When you have a knee-jerk reaction to something such as a bad score on an assignment, pause and step back to see what’s going on. What was your mood before this happened? What caused your reaction? Think about what parts of your personality or history are influencing your feelings. Weigh whether what you want to do next aligns with your goals and values. Consider what it would feel like to do something else or how someone else might think and act in this scenario. Imagining how what you say and do makes others feel can also help you become more self-aware.
2. Reflect on Your Experiences Daily
Reflection is another tool for self-awareness. At the end of the day, take a few moments to think about what happened and how you felt in certain situations. Did anything trigger strong emotions? Were there moments when you felt particularly proud, frustrated, or anxious? You can also think about how your experiences from the day might connect with past experiences. How have you reacted in similar situations previously? How did today differ? These reflections can show instances where you’ve grown and changed.
Writing your thoughts in a journal can help you process them more deeply. You don’t have to write pages—just jotting down a few bullet points or sentences can give you valuable insights into your emotional and behavioral patterns around your academic performance and goals. Eventually, you’ll start to see connections between your actions and emotions that you might not have noticed before. (Journaling can also be a good addition to your self-care routine, as it can release stress and negative emotions and help you focus more on joy and gratitude and ways to respond to academic feedback.)
3. Gather Feedback
Sometimes it’s hard to see ourselves clearly. We might not realize how we come across to others or how our behavior affects those around us. That’s why seeking feedback from people you trust is crucial.
Ask a friend, family member, or instructor to share their honest perspective about your strengths and areas for improvement. Be open to what they have to say, even if it’s uncomfortable. Constructive feedback can provide a reality check and help you see blind spots you might not be aware of.
Remember, feedback is a tool for growth, not criticism. Approach it with curiosity rather than defensiveness. Use it to enhance your self-understanding and inform your personal development.
4. Pay Attention to Your Emotions
Emotions are a key part of self-awareness, but many of us ignore or suppress them—especially the difficult ones. Instead of pushing your feelings aside, acknowledge them as they arise. If you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or upset, pause and ask yourself, “What am I really feeling right now?” and “Why do I feel this way?”
Naming your emotions can help you better understand them. For example, instead of saying “I’m angry,” you might realize you’re actually feeling hurt or frustrated. This deeper understanding of your emotions can help you respond more thoughtfully and address the root cause of your feelings.
Over time, you may also notice factors that trigger or strengthen your emotions. On the flip side, you can learn what things help you stay calm. This knowledge can allow you to avoid, prepare for, or seek help in situations that might otherwise catch you off guard.
5. Set Intentions for Growth
Self-awareness isn’t just about understanding who you are today. It’s also about who you want to become. Setting clear intentions for your academic growth can give you direction and purpose. Think about what areas of your life you’d like to improve. Your journaling or perhaps the feedback you’ve gotten from others can inspire some ideas. Do you want to be more patient, more confident, or more assertive?
Once you’ve picked an area for growth, set small, achievable goals that align with that intention. Be deliberate about taking those actions and regularly checking in with how you’re progressing.
Self-Awareness: A Life-Long Journey
Cultivating self-awareness is a journey, not a destination. It takes time, patience, and a willingness to look inward. By staying curious, reflecting on your experiences, seeking feedback, and paying attention to your emotions, you can steadily increase your self-awareness every day.
As you become more aware of yourself, you’ll be able to make decisions that align with your values and purpose and your academic goals. You’ll be more thoughtful in how you interact with others, helping your relationships flourish. You’ll act less impulsive and be more logical when you face stress and difficulty. You’ll also have more tools to prepare for and manage your emotions. When you pursue the goals you set for yourself, you’ll grow as a person in ways that matter to you. In time, your overall well-being will improve. As you can see, being self-aware is a powerful way to live intentionally and authentically.
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PS: This blog is part of our series on Shaping Resilient Stingrays, which is the goal of South University’s Quality Enhancement Plan. Read more about what it takes to overcome adversity in our first blog in the series: How to Become More Resilient in College and Life.
