10 Sep When Does Self-Awareness Start Feeling Like a Trap

When you notice and understand your feelings, thoughts, personality, and behavior, you open yourself up to self-awareness.   

Self-awareness plays a crucial role in one’s life, not just in personal relationships, but also in professional performance at work.   

Numerous studies have shown that increasing one’s self-awareness offers benefits, including a greater sense of control, improved decision-making, greater accountability, and increased alignment with one’s core values.  

Why is Self-Awareness Important?  

A 2021 study showed that self-aware people scored higher in the comfort of expressing their own emotions, noting that they understand the importance of emotional vulnerability.  

The same study discussed that self-aware people are more likely to be better at regulating their own emotions, which in turn allows them to put emotionally charged situations in perspective.   

They are also better at handling conflicts and problems, with the study noting that people with more self-awareness know how their actions and words impact other people. With this knowledge, they are also more likely to be accountable for their actions.  

The more people practice self-awareness, the more they are willing to be flexible. The study discussed that people with higher scores of self-awareness know what they want and the motivations behind it, which they then turn into motivation to take actions that are aligned with their goals.  

In the workplace, increased self-awareness is associated with better decision-making skills, increased productivity, better time management, improved communication skills, and can help with stress management.   

When Does It Become Unhelpful?  

Self-awareness can immediately turn unhealthy when you start to use it with your inner critic, when it should be done with compassion and neutrality without judgment.  

Too much self-awareness in a negative perspective can lead to developing your inner critic, which can cause you to: 

• Ruminate: excessive thinking of negative and stressful thoughts.  

• Self-judgment: starting to judge yourself for your actions and decisions, and seeing yourself in a “lacking” perspective.  

• Comparison: endlessly comparing yourself to others.  

• Negative self-talk: talking to yourself negatively for feeling a certain way and discouraging yourself from doing things.  

Self-awareness should foster a deeper understanding of yourself—what you need, your goals, and your values—and you start to align your decisions with what you think is best for you.  

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Jerabek, I., Muoio, D., & President, B. A. (2021, March 12). I Think, Therefore I Am…Loved: New Study Looks At Benefits of Self-Awareness on Relationship Satisfaction. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350020709_I_Think_Therefore_I_AmLoved_New_Study_Looks_At_Benefits_of_Self-Awareness_on_Relationship_Satisfaction

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Castrillon, C. (2023, March 12). Why Self-Awareness Is Essential For Career Success. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2023/03/12/why-self-awareness-is-essential-for-career-success/

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