How self-knowledge can improve your quality of life

Knowing yourself and understanding what makes you feel good – and especially what doesn’t – is a challenging process, mainly because it is linked to your self-esteem. But self-knowledge is very important and can improve your quality of life. To explain more about the subject, see what psychologist Anita Teixeira said on the subject.

What is self-knowledge

Anita explained that it is the process of knowing and recognizing desires, powers and limitations. In addition, she shows that it also involves “the unknown that inhabits you, because what was taken for granted becomes questioned”. To close the explanation, the psychologist says that “it is a journey of constant reflection that can sometimes not be so easy”.

Why self-knowledge is important

Even though it’s not such an easy process, self-esteem promotes several positive changes in your life. So, here are the main qualities that self-knowledge can offer:

• Strengthening self-esteem: self-esteem is the main beneficiary when there is the practice of self-knowledge. The psychologist mentioned that “you feel more secure, you know and respect your qualities and your flaws, without judgment”.
• Improved mental health: “those who know each other don’t want to fit in a box and can show their way of seeing life in a lighter way”, explains Anita. She claims that the person feels good about themselves, with less personal demands, leading to improved mental health.
• Confidence in making decisions and facing new situations: it is difficult to face new things or make decisions when you don’t know what you like and what your limitations are. Thus, “when there is the practice of self-knowledge, you feel less need for validation and easier to speak and seek what you want”, concludes Anita.
• Ease of dealing with day-to-day situations: “Simple situations – such as going to a job interview, presenting a job or meeting someone – are challenging for those who do not understand themselves very much. On the other hand, when self-knowledge is put into practice, you can feel safe and stop putting yourself in situations where you can be harmed”, quotes the psychologist.
• Improved interpersonal relationships: Anita comments that interpersonal relationships – whether professional, friendships or love – become easier. “There is no insecurity, no need to be defensive or to shut up for fear that the person will walk away. Not to mention that communication becomes lighter, avoiding aggressive discussions and accusations”, she concludes.

These are the main reasons why self-knowledge is so important. And if you want to know how this can be put into practice in your everyday life, read on to find out.

How to practice self-knowledge

Now that you are convinced that self-knowledge is very important for your life, check out the psychologist’s tips to get to know yourself more:

Be open to living life’s experiences

For Anita, “life is a great teacher, so there’s nothing better than living to learn about yourself. Especially because, from the relationships we establish with people, we get to know each other and also not know each other”.

Practice sport or some physical activity

The psychologist explains that, in order to know yourself, you also need to understand how the body works, feel your own breathing and observe yourself. All this you can discover during the practice of physical activities.

Get analysis or therapy

“The professional who performs the role of qualified listening is attentive to the patient’s speech and, when directed to another person, facilitates the process of self-knowledge”, quotes Anita. So having that moment is very important to listen too.

Reflect and observe your interests and goals

The goal is to understand what makes sense for you in all areas of your life. Thus, the psychologist recommends “taking a minute to write down your goals and interests, then compare what you wrote down at another time”.

Learn from experiences and be open to questioning

Every experience leaves a learning and this you can discover alone or in therapy. Anita recommends asking questions, such as “what can I extract from a certain experience I went through?”, “what makes sense to me?” or “what are my weaknesses and what are my abilities?”.

Talk in front of the mirror

It may be weird, but it will help you a lot. According to the psychologist, it is “a good exercise to listen and talk about something that makes you distressed”. In addition, observing yourself in the mirror is also a way of contemplating your image and your way of being.

Listen to the opinion of others, but without taking it as absolute truth

Being self-confident doesn’t mean completely ignoring other people’s opinions, it means filtering out what really matters to you. Anita recommends that you “reflect on what makes the most sense from your perspective and don’t take anything for granted.”

Have you already put any of the tips into practice? Take the opportunity to start today and remember that there is nothing wrong with asking for help and resorting to therapies.

More information about self-knowledge to help you work on it in your daily life

After knowing more details about self-knowledge with the psychologist’s explanations, check out the videos below that also deal with the subject:

How to be more self-aware

Psychologist Gabriela Affonso brings self-knowledge tips, in addition to explaining what it is to know yourself. She also talks about beliefs brought in from childhood and how that can be changed.

5 steps to discover who you are

The psychoanalyst Fê Cavalari brings a great reflection that helps to understand the who am I and how to find out. In addition, she brings tips to spend more time with you, after all, self-knowledge is a relationship you build with yourself.

How to get started and put self-knowledge into practice

YouTuber Mylla Murta presents tips based on her personal experience in the quest for self-knowledge. In addition, she mentions that you need to be willing to face your fears and shadows to get to know yourself better.

As you can see, the first step towards self-knowledge is you who needs to take it. It may seem difficult, but the improvement in quality of life and interpersonal relationships will be evident. Now, what do you think about reading the article about self-knowledge books?

The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. They do not replace the advice and follow-up of doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, physical education professionals and other specialists.