How you see yourself is crucial to many aspects of your life. For example, the way you see yourself has the ability to impact…
- Your self esteem
- Your self confidence
- Your overall happiness and satisfaction in life
- …and much more!
A better understanding of what causes you to see yourself a certain way is crucial for exploring ways to improve your overall self image. To dive deeper into understanding how you see yourself, consider these top ten tips:
#1 Consider moments from your past that caused you to adopt certain beliefs about who you are.
Your past plays a huge role in how you see yourself. To better understand how you see yourself, consider the moments from your past that have caused you to adopt certain beliefs about who you are.
For example, an experience in your childhood may be so firmly cemented in your mind that you still think about it often. Perhaps that moment from childhood taught you something important about yourself, and now that the information is firmly rooted in your mind, it affects the way you see yourself. Understanding how these formative past moments affected you can help you better understand who you are and how you perceive yourself.
#2 Create a list of the various roles you fulfill within your life.
All people wear a variety of “hats” in their lives. They play all sorts of roles, such as the role of a worker, the role of a partner, the role of a best friend, and the role of a parent. The number of roles you fulfill in your life is ever-growing. Create a list of all the roles you fulfill within your life and consider how assuming those roles shapes your understanding of how you see yourself.
#3 Pay close attention to the way you speak to yourself.
The type of language you choose to use when you speak to yourself can be highly reflective of how you see yourself overall. for example, if you tend to speak to yourself negatively, you may see yourself in a negative light, convinced that you do not deserve your own kindness. Paying close attention to the way that you speak to yourself (and correcting it to be kinder) is an excellent way to understand more about how you see yourself.
#4 Take stock of the people with whom you spend time with most often.
The people you spend time around most often have the potential to affect the way you see yourself. Even if you really, truly care about your friend group, family members, or coworkers, it’s important to consider whether or not they are inviting negativity into your life. Spending too much time with negative naysayers can cause you to see yourself in a negative light; in contrast, spending time with positive people can cause you to see yourself in a positive light.
#5 Give yourself permission to express yourself authentically.
Allow yourself to express yourself authentically. Doing so is a great way to really understand how you see yourself. For example, if you prefer to dress in bright, colorful patterns, you may deduce that you enjoy reflecting your own positivity outwardly through your wardrobe. Paying attention to how you express yourself authentically serves as a great window into your true self.
#6 Make a list of identifying terms you would use to describe yourself.
Every time you think of a word or phrase you’d use to describe yourself, jot that term down into a list. Keep the list ongoing and add to it whenever something new comes to mind. This practice is a great way to build a better understanding of how you see yourself.
#7 Keep a list of traits you admire about yourself.
Similarly to the tip above, also keep a list of traits you admire about yourself. Whenever you think of a new one, add it to your list. Doing this is a great way to understand how you see yourself by focusing on what you consider your most positive traits. Not only is this practice a positive way to see yourself, but it’s also a great mood booster when you’re feeling low.
#8 Identify your specific and unique set of strengths and weaknesses.
All people are born with their own specific set of strengths and weaknesses. Getting to know your own set of strengths and weaknesses is an excellent way to better understand how you see yourself.
Knowing where your strengths lie helps you know where you can excel most in life, and knowing where your weaknesses lie can help you determine where you can make positive change and adjustments. However, to get to the point where you can use your strengths and weaknesses to structure your life, you must understand them in order to know how they affect the way you see yourself.
#9 Take stock of how often you prioritize yourself.
Your ability to prioritize yourself can really help you understand how you see yourself. For example, if you prioritize your needs often, you likely see yourself as important and worthy of care. If you tend to prioritize others’ needs over your own, you may not see yourself as that important. Pay close attention to how often you are prioritizing yourself because it can be very indicative of how you see yourself.
#10 Build your own unique definition of success.
A great way to better understand how you see yourself is to build your own unique definition of success. you will always be surrounded with a million different ways to Define success. You will see your friends find success, you will see famous people finding success, and you will see coworkers find success on the job. You will be surrounded by “success stories” from many different directions.
All people find success in a variety of ways, and how you perceive their successes can define how you see yourself.For example, if you don’t find success the same way your co-worker does, you may see yourself in a negative light. this is why building your own definition of success is crucial – it can make a huge impact on how you see yourself.
