Getting to Know Yourself: How Self-Awareness Helps When You Feel Lost or Stuck

Ben discusses the importance of self-reflection and understanding yourself, especially during reflective times like Christmas. He emphasises the need to invest in yourself, connect with the REAL you, and utilise tools available for self-discovery. This episode highlights that knowing your needs and emotions is crucial for a fulfilling life.

Self-discovery resources recommended in this episode are: 16personalities.com, viacharacter.org, high5test.com, thevaluesbridge.com, scottjeffrey.com and the Clifton Strengths Assessment on gallup.com.

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Transcript

Welcome to Something for the Busy Brain, episode 2. The Ben has a cold edition. Please excuse any sniffles, sneezing, coughing or sipping on cold remedies in the background.

when you're happy and fulfilled.

Your brain feels lighter. You're more resilient to challenges.

All these things we know, they're logical. It's obvious.

But sometimes we get to a point in our life where someone asks what we do for fun. What do do to switch off? What do we do for ourselves? What makes us happy? And maybe life has been a hundred miles an hour until these questions stop you in your tracks and you realize that you don't have the answer.

Christmas or the end of the year is often a reflective time for a of people. And that can be a blessing and a curse. Not having the answer to some of life's big questions can make you feel a little bit lost. Q identity crisis. What have I done with my life? What do I do now?

That spiral of negativity can feel crippling. You start comparing yourself to other people. Feeling inferior. Jealous of how happy they seem to be.

Overanalyzing. Overthinking.

The three wise men would probably tell you to use this reflective time at Christmas. Dare I say, wisely.

In search of a happier, more fulfilling life. Some of us might try retail therapy. Some of us work on our bodies, on our faces. Some try a different hobby. A bit of this, a bit of that. Whatever it takes to try and feel better.

You might've been in the same job for years, decades even, and don't want that to define you. But at the same time, you don't know what you do want to do.

problem most of the time.

is that we often don't know what we need. So we struggle to meet our needs.

Makes sense, right?

Christmas is probably a time when we're most guilty of putting other people's needs before our own.

Maybe think about that.

Very quick disclaimer before you roll your eyes. This is not a coaching pitch. It's just what I've found works with my clients.

And all I do is hope you can take something from it and apply it to yourself.

It starts with investing in you and getting to know yourself. I mean, really getting to know yourself.

who you are and what you stand for.

Everyone has their own unique brain wiring, their own strengths, their own set of values. Knowing how you work gives you the very best chance of achieving the life you want.

How are you investing in yourself? Are you investing in yourself enough? Or at all?

How can you get to know yourself better?

What step, however small, can you take today to start investing in yourself?

Humans need connection. Fact. And connection is a word you will hear me use a hell of a lot.

It doesn't always mean that closeness, that sense of belonging when you found your people, your tribe.

Human connection also applies to yourself. Connect with you.

Here's one reason we're perhaps struggling to answer those... What makes me happy? questions?

Maybe we've given away or outsourced too much of our thinking and self-reflection to Google or AI.

Not all the answers we need are online.

Maybe we've just got too good at filling every quiet moment with a screen. Rather than sitting, thinking, feeling and understanding ourselves.

So why does connecting with yourself matter so much?

Here's a handful of benefits from really knowing yourself. It puts you more in control of you.

It builds self-awareness, self-acceptance, and more control over your future.

It helps you understand and regulate your emotions more effectively.

It helps you make better, or in fact, the right decisions for you.

you're able to set better boundaries. What to say yes to.

and perhaps more importantly, what to say no to.

It enables you to advocate for your own needs.

It helps you discover or rediscover what makes you truly happy.

those times when you are stuck.

You then know what's missing.

Knowing what your needs are beats feeling lost every single time.

So take the time to invest in you. Not just now. Always.

A lot of people contact me at crisis point.

They're just not coping.

They want tools, techniques, strategies, coping mechanisms.

They want to feel better.

But anything that stands a chance of working for you has to be right for you. Otherwise you're just taking a sticky plaster approach.

Life can be all consuming. It's hard to escape the noise and the busyness.

It can often feel like life happens to you, rather than you feeling in control of life.

Do you know who you are? Who you really are at your core and who you want to be.

What does the best of you look like? Maybe the key to your future begins with getting to know who you are now.

There's so much you can do for yourself. Tools and resources that are widely available and free.

I want to provide these for you because not everyone can afford coaching. The positive mental health and wellbeing should be free and accessible to everyone. Many of these resources will be used by coaches like myself and they provide a really great starting point. Everyone has their preferences, but some of the popular ones are 16 personalities.

working through these can help you learn and understand so much about yourself. I'd recommend doing it

with someone else, whether that's a friend, a partner, a family member, or indeed working with a coach could be life-changing.

I would and do challenge most people that they don't know themselves as well as they think they do. It sounds oversimplified, but why not try and strip out some of the noise and get back to basics.

by getting to know yourself.

How can you get to know yourself better?

That question again, what step, however small can you take today to invest in yourself? Your future self will thank you for it.

If you've benefited from today's episode.

Maybe think who else would benefit and share it with them.

It is the season for caring and sharing, after all.

After that cheesy finish, that's me signing off until next week. Take care.