Self Awareness is key to health and wellness

I think self-awareness is probably the most important thing towards being a champion.
Billie Jean King 

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” 
― C.G. Jung

Self-Awareness is arguably the most important aspect of gaining health and successfully making changes we wish to make in our lives. Our current state of health is often reflection of our habits of daily living, and in some cases our parents' and grand-parents' habits as well. Self-awareness and mindfulness allow us to identify these habits and to make the reasons for them being present a part of our conscious awareness. For example, one may go out for a smoke a cigarette every day at 10 in the morning. While they may not want to smoke anymore, it has become a part of their daily routine. It gives them much more than just nicotine. They may enjoy the "treat" it gives them during their morning, they may fraternize with coworkers and get filled in on the latest, they may get some air outside while getting a stretch and see how the weather for the day is shaping up. Trying to quit cold turkey might be possible, but then the positive effects are cancelled out as well. Anyone can see that there are positive healthy behaviors that are lost by simply quitting smoking. By observation, the individual can begin to introspect as to possible solutions that will fulfill the deeper drives in a more healthy way. Finally, when they make the change, self-awareness can help them to identify challenges that they might not otherwise have identified and return to planning and strategizing. When speaking with my patients about their desires to change behaviors for health and wellness, I always end the visit with this, "When you leave here today, don't make any change. Just observe." Being self-aware and understanding why you do what you do will help you to identify how to change in a way that will still fulfill your needs and in this way make it more likely for you to be successful at achieving the change you seek. 

Thought patterns can be habitual too. It's amazing, but thoughts actually have so much power over our physical health, our mood, even our relationships. Without even realizing it, we can completely affect our health just by the way we are thinking through the hormones or chemicals that are released from the hormonal centers of our brain. These thoughts may be triggered by subtle things, like the seasons changing, or perhaps not feeling productive, a friend not calling back, or a spouse being moody or distracted. Maybe being nervous about a presentation, hence the saying, "my stomach is in a knot". The bowels are tied intricately to the brain. Having self-awareness of thoughts and feelings and the way they manifest in our bodies is crucial. Taking care to notice what you are feeling physically, particularly in emotional states can be a very helpful tool to bring awareness to what you are feeling. 

Sometimes we may not be aware of our emotional states while they are affecting us. Bring them to the forefront by journaling or talking to a compassionate friend or loved one about what you are feeling. Chances are, they will have some insight into why you might be feeling that way, or inject some humor into your otherwise brooding mood. Finally, meditation is a way to stop these patterns of habitual thinking as well. It is also a way to observe the emotional and physical states you are experiencing in a detached way, allowing the feelings and emotions to exist fully and also to pass. Clearing the air for new feelings and emotions that may be of a more positive nature. Meditation that is focused on experiencing the part of you that has always been present, in other words, a search for your inner self is especially helpful. Finding that core is what can ultimately give you the strength, again and again, to achieve health and wellness you desire. 

© Regina Zopf and Trotula Health, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Regina Zopf and Trotula Health with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.