The importance of knowing yourself

Alexander the Great said that “Knowing yourself is the most difficult task because it directly puts our rationality, but also our fears and passions, into play.”. “If one manages to know oneself thoroughly, one will know how to understand others and the reality that surrounds one.”.

The importance of self-knowledge

This Macedonian king was right because Through self-knowledge we learn to function effectively in life and to face our daily lives in an optimal way. Really knowing how we are, what we feel or what goals we want to achieve are capabilities that are associated with interpersonal intelligence.

In this sense, having Interpersonal intelligence means understanding who we are, knowing how to identify our emotions and acting accordingly. Skills that allow us to regulate our behavior, solve problems effectively and make decisions.

Likewise, with self-knowledge we learn to identify our capabilities, but also our limitations. This helps us plan goals realistically to avoid future frustrations.

For its part, Self-knowledge is key to psychological well-being; because it allows us to develop adequate management of our emotions, especially in the most difficult situations. This, in turn, helps us cultivate healthy relationships, since to the extent that we learn to express ourselves assertively, we will avoid conflictive situations and misunderstandings.

Keys to promote self-knowledge

Now that you know the benefits of knowing yourself, don’t wait any longer to develop this skill! That is why, below, we will tell you some keys to grow internally and learn more about yourself:

Learn to channel your emotions

This involves knowing how to act when faced with that emotion or feeling. To do this, learn to identify negative emotions to transform them into positive ones. For example, if you feel angry, analyze the reason for this emotional state and try to redirect it.

Explore your interior

Erich Fromm said that “Self-knowledge begins with self-acceptance. Accept yourself and you will know yourself better”. Make a list of your virtues and another of your defects . Ask someone close to you to do the same to see their image of you. Compare both lists and try to improve those aspects of your personality with which you feel less satisfied.

Take action

Observe how your emotions influence your moods and look for ways to change negative ones into positive ones. To do this, you can Write down the behaviors that made you feel bad and think about how you could solve it. For example: when you feel sad, ask yourself What can I do to channel that emotion? Talk to a friend? Do an activity that relaxes me? to meditate? When you identify what can help you, put it into practice.

Accept yourself as you are

Jean-Jacques Rousseau said that “no one can be happy if they don’t appreciate themselves”. Therefore, Analyze what your capabilities and limitations are. Set short and medium-term goals based on them. This will strengthen your self-esteem and teach you to accept yourself as you are.

Write a diary

Writing a diary is an activity that helps us get to know ourselves better. Therefore, Before going to sleep, think about what you have done during the day and how you have felt at each moment.. Then, write it all down on paper. This will help you better understand the nature of your emotions which, in turn, will allow you to identify strategies to properly manage your emotional universe.

Attend psychotherapy

Attending psychotherapy is one of the best alternatives to get to know ourselves. In this case, The specialist will offer us the appropriate tools to know those aspects that we do not know about ourselves and address those personal conflicts that do not allow us to move forward to a more serene and calm life.

Follow these simple guidelines and you will see how, through self-knowledge, you improve your relationships with yourself and with others. Because as Jorge Bucay says “Only by knowing who we are can we begin to be better for ourselves and for others.”.

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