Self -Awareness is our recognition of ‘SELF’, our Character, our Strengths and Weaknesses, our Desires, and our Likes and Dislikes.
Socrates once said: ‘To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.’
“The capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.”
Self-awareness is having a clear perception of who you are, why you do what you do, how you do it, and the impact it has on others. It not only involves being aware of your strengths and weaknesses but also observing your thoughts and emotions. It means understanding and accepting your needs and wants, your expectations, your values, and your personality.
Now let’s talk about why Self-awareness is important in the workplace.
To be successful in a chosen field or in the role a person desires, being aware of skills, strengths, weaknesses, and most importantly their emotions and thoughts are of utmost importance. Doing so benefits both the employer and the employee by improving senior-subordinate relationships and also creating a more empathetic environment. Self-awareness is a useful quality for executives, managers, HR folk, and indeed just about anyone in the workplace. Self-awareness is essential to have a strong and effective leadership position. It helps people perform better in the workplace and perceive any situation positively rather than negatively. It helps in maintaining a balanced and harmonious relationship with everyone around, as it means being aware of one’s feelings, thoughts, and actions. People who are self-aware are always striving to perform better and relate to their colleagues, direct reports, and superiors, creating a healthier and well-balanced work environment. It’s important to remember that we cannot control external factors in our lives, but we need to be able to control the way we react to the situations that arise.
Some benefits of becoming self-aware include:
- Better equipped to deal with stress and anxiety
- Provides basic skills to help with time management
- Helps in understanding emotions, feelings, and thoughts better
- Teaches you to take feedback in a positive manner
- Increases confidence and self-esteem
- Helps in understanding the power of the decision-making
- Teaches you to handle conflict more productively
- Provides a healthier and more empathetic environment
Steps to become more self-aware:
- Be aware of your emotions. What are you feeling and what made you feel that way?
- Take feedback from your colleagues, superiors, family, and friends. Take feedback positively and try to learn and better yourself from it.
- Try meditation to calm your mind and to get a better insight into things around you.
- At the end of the day take time to reflect and see how the day went and see if there is any room for improvement.
- Journaling can be really helpful. It allows you to process your thoughts and emotions by writing them down.
- Talk and share what you feel with someone you can trust.
- Be patient with yourself and learn to accept who you are.
“THE FINAL MYSTERY IS ONESELF”
– Oscar Wilde.
About the Author:
Ms. Neha Surana
Neha is a Counselling Psychologist with a Masters in Clinical Psychology. She is also a certified Life Skills Trainer with a diverse skill set using an innovative approach while assisting clients in the professional and educational environment. She has volunteered on many occasions and am currently working for a few Helplines as a counseling Psychologist and also trained and mentored individuals in life skills and have handled clients with different emotional issues.
