What does self awareness look like? It looks like someone who knows what is theirs to take on while leaving the rest behind.

When you’re self-aware, you’re more aware of yourself and others.

You recognize that your presence impacts others. And you take responsibility of how you show up.

I used to be very unaware and one day I woke up. I realized that my actions were causing harm to others. For many people, myself included, this is the start of the spiritual journey.

This post will answer the question what does self awareness look like?

What Is Self-Awareness?

​ Self-awareness isn’t the same as consciousness. Having self-awareness means you’re able to recognize consciousness within yourself, and others.

It’s seeing beyond identity, thoughts and actions. Self-awareness perceives the energy behind everything.

Consciousness is what binds us all. Self-awareness is the lens through which we are able to view that connection.

We use emotional intelligence to navigate relationships. When you have a strong sense of self, you can perceive beyond ego.

True self-awareness is when you’re able to check yourself. You can tell whether your actions are in alignment with your authentic self.

Your level of awareness can rise above emotions. You’re able to view yourself from a more detached perspective.

Self-awareness is the ability to reflect on what drives you. It’s using this information to understand patterns in your thoughts, behaviors and emotions.

Then you’re able to discern your strengths, weaknesses and how others perceive you.

Types of Self-Awareness

Your level of self-awareness has two main components. One is internal and the other is external.

Internal Self-Awareness

Internal self-awareness is recognizing your own emotions, your own thoughts.

Once you’re aware of how you feel, you’ll begin to question if you’re living true to yourself.

Many people find that they struggle with internal self-awareness. In my experience, this is due to some childhood trauma.

If your parents didn’t notice or acknowledge your accomplishments, you may lack self-awareness.

The reason for this is the pain it causes. It pivots your awareness to your parents.

Instead of focusing what you’ve accomplished, you seek validation and approval.

External self-awareness

This is what most people focus on.

A couple of examples are dancing online for likes, and constant swiping.

Media floods our awareness at all day from every direction. This has contributed to a fixation on external attention.

Rather than turning our attention within, where we need ourselves most, we seek it without.

When your energy, attention and focus is outside, your self-awareness becomes inverted.

Healthy external self-awareness is an understanding of how others preceive you.

You can use your external self-awareness to observe how others perceive you. This is public self-awareness.

Then turn the energy within to understand yourself better.

External self-awareness to operates like a mirror.

What you see outside of you, is reflecting something within you that needs attention.

Greater self-awareness builds stronger relationships with yourself and others.

Benefits of self-awareness

Increasing your levels of self-awareness helps you become a better leader in life.

Becoming a Good Listener

Self-awareness is being able to look at your life objectively without judgment.

If you’re always impatient, rushing or hustling, work on your internal self awareness.

Ask yourself why you’re rushing, or feeling impatient.

Better Relationships

Another benefit of self-awareness is connecting with others on their level.

Self-awareness is the ability to discern the energy behind someone’s words or actions.

Awareness can offer compassion in the face of adversity.

Self-awareness is the ability to connect with yourself on a deeper level. Then it’s easier to connect with others.

Stronger Intuition

When your intuition is stronger, you’ll tap into different perspectives with more ease.

Self-awareness perceives beyond what you may perceive with your physical senses.

When you combine self-awareness with deep trust and confidence in yourself, you’re unstoppable.

This combination creates a heightened intuitive knowing that is unexplainable, but accurate.

It’s that feeling, “I don’t know how I know, I just know.”

5 Ways to Develop Your Self-Awareness

There are different ways to develop your self-awareness. These are my top five favorite ways.

Step 1: Identify and Heal Your Patterns

Self-aware people can identify areas of their lives with recurring themes and patterns.

Even if you don’t know where they started, or what’s the pattern is, awareness of the pattern itself is the first step.

Once you’re aware of it, you can put a plan in place to heal.

Spending time facing your shadow is healing and building self-awareness.

The opposite of this can also be true. You can continue acting out patterns but not doing anything to repair them.

The difference between the two is a commitment to growth mindset.

Step 2: Hone your Focus & Attention

Chronic anxiety is your intuition is trying to tell you something.

Feelings of anxiety arise when we’re not listening to our own intuition.

We continue to engage in patterns, relationships or situations that are harmful to us.

Personal development begins with asking your inner self some great questions.

Your focus and attention contribute to what you experience. Focus and attention are the energies that drive you forward.

Where you place them determines your results.

For example, if you focus on what little money you have, that becomes all you can see and you see it everywhere.

When you shift your focus and attention to what you have, that’s all you can see. This is when new ideas and possibilities flood your awareness.

Over time, you become a stronger, more confident and resilient person.

The good news is, once you gain control of your inner thoughts, you’ll create a life you love.

Step 3: Recover Your Energy & Expand It

Increasing your state of self-awareness begins with your energy! You can increase your energy in a positive way.

One of the best ways to do this is to set boundaries.

The number one way to drain your energy is by allowing energy leaks, and energy vampires in your life.

Energy leaks are areas where you are giving more than you are receiving, in a way that is not beneficial to you.

Women over-give for many reasons. If it feels aligned, and nourishing to you, it isn’t a problem.

Energy drains come with feelings of overwhelm, anger and resentment. I see this a lot with women who give but can’t allow themselves to receive.

To receive, you’ll need an open heart. You’ll need to work through rejection, vulnerability and intimacy issues.

Each of these block open heartedness because you won’t feel safe to let your guard down.

Energy vampires can also be people. It’s that friend who only talks about herself the entire time you get together, never asking about you.

It’s the sibling who only calls you when they need something. You get the picture. The relationships are transactional.

Step 4: Balance Your Feminine & Masculine Energy

Every person has equal parts masculine and feminine energy. This has nothing to do with gender.

When you’re in your masculine energy, you are leading, providing and holding space.

Balanced masculine energy is very grounded, confident, secure, patient, and expansive.

It can handle emotions, feelings and instability without collapsing or wavering.

This doesn’t mean the masculine energy is unfeeling. It means that it is able to weather everything from a grounded place. 

It can see blind spots without emotion.

I like to look at the masculine energy like the trunk of a redwood tree.

The more grounded and rooted the tree is, the taller it is able to grow, expand and provide shade for others.

Your feminine energy is receptive, creative, and connected to yourself. This doesn’t mean you aren’t working, or providing.

It means you carve out time to create, be present, explore and align yourself.

I like to look at the feminine energy like the energy of water. Water keeps moving.

It doesn’t stop when it encounters a pebble in the riverbed, it goes around it or over it.

There’s no resistance to this process, only gentleness and continuation. Water is adaptable.

It can change its size, shape, temperature, and state of matter. Water can change to adapt to the environment it finds itself in, yet its true identity will never change.

It will always be water.

Water is also the epitome of life force energy, representing our emotions. We can only live three days without it.

It signifies the importance of remaining connected to our true essence. Emotions and feelings are critical to our health.

Working with our positive and negative emotions improves wellbeing. It helps peace of mind.

Without this connection, we begin dying inside.

“Don’t get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” – Bruce Lee

Step 5: Learn to Navigate Resistance & Surrender

There’s a good reason every Spiritual guru recommends meditation. It helps you live in the present moment.

It’s the most important thing you can do to gain deeper self-awareness.

Positive relationships with yourself and others begin with give and take. This is one of the components of self-awareness.

Resistance and surrender are two sacred dualities that are like oil and water. To surrender, you must stop resisting.

With self-awareness, you realize that resistance is normal, and you expect it.

For example, when you’re about to make a big purchase, you may feel resistance.

There are two types of resistance:

Intuition is saying no.

One type is your intuition saying NO, this isn’t the right choice. In this case, it’s a full body no. Something feels off, and you can’t seem to align with it.

You may be making the choice out of a fear of missing out, putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. It feels like force instead of alignment.

Normal fear.

The other type is recognizing that you feel called to make the investment. but you have normal fear that’s present.

Fear will always be there. If your intuition says yes, and it feels good in your body, you would make the investment anyway.

Even if you feel some fear, which is normal, you still feel it’s the right choice.

When you learn to navigate resistance, you also surrender to your own choices.

Surrender is more about being at peace with your choices than it is letting go of something.

Confidence in yourself and your choices, will help you surrender and let go of control. You won’t need to know how it’ll all turn out.

You trust that it will all work out. Once you work through negative feelings and trauma, it gets easier to let go.

Why is self-awareness important?

Strong self-awareness skills are important because it connects your intuition with your mind.

Self-awareness is a great way to tap into the emotion behind the words and actions.

In any given moment, you can look at life from a broader, more holistic perspective. This not only expands your perspective, but also your perception.

Self-awareness often sheds light into areas of life that have no logical explanation.

While self-awareness may not provide a specific answer, it will provide understanding.

Understanding is far more powerful than answers. It comes with a sense of peace and contentment.

Once you find peace, you no longer need to know the answer.

I teach women how to strengthen and use their intuition to navigate life and business. To learn how to use your intuition as a powerful tool, download my gift.

In the free Energetic Empowerment Guide, you’ll learn how to harness your intuition. Plus, I’ll show you how to expand your energy to receive more in life, and business.

Don’t forget to leave me a comment down below with your thoughts. I love hearing from you!

This post answered the question what does self awareness look like?