What is Self-Awareness?

Psychologist Abraham Maslow clarified that reaching self-actualization, which is the pinnacle of the human needs pyramid and the highest level of self-awareness, requires meeting basic needs in order, starting from physiological needs to shelter, then a sense of belonging and beauty.

I also looked at other theories regarding an individual's true, perceived, and desired selves, including those of psychologist Carl Jung. Other academics discussed the connection between an individual's goals and their ego and super-ego.

Looking at these various logical theories simultaneously left me feeling disoriented and confused. I could not develop any practical applications for any of these theories or figure out what self-awareness meant to me until I was in my Chinese calligraphy class.

I look forward to the class every week at my teacher's incredibly peaceful and cozy home because it gives me a sense of direction and purpose in life and that I am doing something fruitful. Additionally, I feel comfortable, clear-headed, serene, and peaceful, allowing me to understand myself more.

Since I wasn't committed to practicing Chinese calligraphy at home, I always wished I could hold onto the clarity and calm until the next lesson.

My Personal Experience in Enhancing Self-Awareness

In one of the lessons, I practiced the Chinese character (覺), which stands for awakening, sensation, feeling, enlightenment, and awareness.

As usual, I couldn't write the character correctly at first, and after many attempts, I began to feel frustrated and hopeless. I wish I could write it properly.

When I wrote the character, the teacher asked me to remember my physical and mental state, so I looked at him with a questioning look and said, “How can I remember!! I was writing.”

Then, he asked me, "Was your wrist tense? Did you grip the brush tightly between your fingers? Did you breathe normally?"

I was frustrated that I could not respond to his questions.

The teacher instructed me to move on to the next character and observe my posture and breathing while drawing the lines. Also, he advised me to stop writing so that I could acknowledge my physical changes when necessary.

Therefore, I wrote the character repeatedly, focusing on the writing technique and my hand, elbow, and leg positions while slowing down the drawing speed.

I noticed that I raised my elbow high, tensed my shoulders, and tapped my foot on the ground, and I felt short of breath.

Shaking his head, the teacher asked me, "Why all the tension in your body?" I looked surprised and perplexed, unable to find a satisfactory answer.

When I started writing again, my body wasn't tense or stressed, but my writing got really thin.

After examining and analyzing the experience, I discovered that I had been holding my breath and gripping the brush tightly, preventing the ink from flowing. That's why the strokes were thin this time.

My teacher asked me to recall what was going through my mind while writing.

I felt embarrassed as I acknowledged that I had been thinking about tasks and work I needed to do after the lesson. Also, I was concerned that I couldn't draw the character accurately and artistically as expected.

“This was the reason,” he informed me with a smile.

My attention became disoriented, my thoughts strayed, and I began to feel overwhelmed with anxiety. My physical senses were impacted, and I discovered that I could not breathe deeply. I was so terrified and anxious that I had to hold my breath. However, as I tried to write the character, I couldn't help but think about the obligations and tasks that awaited me after the lesson.

I feared I would fail to sketch the character as accurately and artistically as I wanted to, so the strain spread to my body. The more stressed I became, the tighter I held the brush, which resulted in a slanted, low-quality character.

A combination of factors influenced my writing, including my tense mental and physical state and shortness of breath, my thoughts about the tasks that lay ahead, and my emotional anxiety. So, my fingers clenched the brush even more. In this state, writing became an external behavior stemming from internal psychological conditions.

Thoughts and emotions influence physical sensations, and their interaction leads to external behavior.

This conclusion aligns with the psychological theories I've read. It helped me understand Maslow's theories on self-awareness. Maslow's theory states that self-awareness is a gradual process. It means an individual must fulfill their physical needs before considering a sense of belonging and beyond, following the human needs' hierarchical sequence. My calligraphy experience served as a self-observation process, leading me to realize that aesthetic standards and emotional factors influence external behavior and outcomes.

These theories apply to personal interpretations of self-awareness and can also be useful in daily life.

Practical Steps to Enhance Self-Awareness

Below are three practical steps to enhance self-awareness:

1. Observing Physical Behavior and Outcomes

Observe physical behavior by answering the following questions:

• What did I do?
• How did I react?
• Did I yell?
• Did I just sit there and say nothing?

2. Recalling the Emotions Associated with the Event

Train yourself to remember the emotions you experienced during the event, whether it was frustration, disappointment, joy, anger, tension, or any other feeling.

3. Identifying the Connection Between Thoughts and Hidden Emotions

In this step, ask yourself: What was I thinking when those emotions arose? Was I anxious? Was my mind preoccupied with tasks awaiting me? Did I envision obtaining a particular result?

In Conclusion

Initially, it took some time to recall each situation and analyze it. However, now that I'm used to it, it just takes me a minute or two to understand my behavior, emotions, and thoughts.

Through repeated practice in various situations, I've learned to identify what makes me happy and sad. Also, I've become capable of determining the actions I want to take.

For me, self-awareness involves discovering values, passions, and the self by identifying and analyzing the thoughts and feelings that drive our behaviors.