« Self-reflection builds emotional self-awareness.
Ask yourself thought provoking questions.
Discover what makes and breaks you from the inside out! »
Chriselda Barretto
Step 4
Welcome back !
So now you have a better understanding of the most common mental health issues. It goes without saying that you might experience a combination of different symptoms.
Please know that there is lots of help out there and you are not alone in this.
Research on the subject is easy to find online, if you need to know more about how you feel and what method would work best for you.
As I said before, recognising you have a problem is the first step, now we will try to cope/deal with the problem and eradicate it from your life.
This step is important towards the building of your positive self-image!
So let’s get started…..
Reaching the core
One thing that both Freud and Maslow (and most psychologists) agreed about was that, self – knowledge is key to good mental health.
« Self-exploration is a pre-requisite to maximise happiness and personal image/power. »
Freud discovered that a lot of psychological illness was related to the fear of knowledge of oneself — of one’s emotions, impulses, memories, capacities, potentialities and ultimately their destiny.
(Abraham Maslow, Toward a Psychology of Being, 1960,)
Bringing it forth
• Ways to Self – Exploration !
1. Get into the right frame of mind – Try to calm yourself and reach your inner voice, your inner observer ! Try to look at incidents or situations occuring neutrally. Do not get emotionally involved. Be non-judgemental!
2. Focus on the situation at hand. Try to find sequences or patterns in these situations.
Ask yourself questions like :
What is causing you stress ?
Why do you feel like this ?
When did you first start experiencing this feeling ?
Which situations make you feel worse/better ?
Who is supportive/not supportive ?
Where was the first time you felt like this ?
How do you feel ?
3. The strongest emotions might lead to the deeper issues and parts of yourself.
-Identify the types and intensity of emotions involved. You can also observe which sensations, thoughts, or actions precede or follow an emotion.
Don’t confuse emotions with sensations, intuition, or thoughts. People often confuse other internal events with emotions. They use the word “feel” to mean many things besides emotions.
As it feels bad to focus on unpleasant emotions, most people have learned to avoid negative emotions. So pursuing them might be a challenge!
“Self-exploration is the opposite of avoiding the issue”
The more heated the emotion, the more closer you are to the source of the fire.
“Remember that if you can stand the heat, you can control the fire.”
4. Identify connections with emotions
– Focus on words, images, or ideas that create the strongest emotional responses
– Identify thoughts that regularly precede the target emotion
The 3 main negative emotions are: Anxiety, Anger and Depression
Anxiety includes subcategories of fear, guilt, stress, confusion, nervousness.
Anger includes resentment, irritation, frustration, and rage.
Depression includes boredom, loneliness, apathy, tiredness, sadness, and grief.
– Ask yourself, “What am I MOST afraid of?” / “What is the WORST thing that could happen?”
These questions can help you unlock mysteries that may have haunted you for years.
These are just some ways to self-exploration.
Try finding your own unique technique of digging into your mind!
Nobody knows you better than ‘YOU’.
« Your ultimate goal should be a fearless you. »
Take care and till next week…
Bon Voyage !
