Finding yourself: 8 tips for self discovery

Self discovery and self awareness are two important topics that deserve mentioning when we talk about the long journey to self love. 

As we previously focused on self awareness, today we’ll be focusing on Self discovery.

Self discovery is a long and somehow complicated journey to go through on your own. 

That’s why we’re going to break it down together and I’ll be giving you all the information that will help you on your self discovery journey.

What is self discovery?

Self discovery is the journey of getting to know yourself through bonding with the outside world. 

It’s the process of discovering that part of yourself that connects you to your surroundings.  

It’s your identity that we’re talking about. 

Our whole lives we identify with people who have the most impact on us, but isn’t it the right time to find out our true identity?

The word identity has a very deep meaning within itself and that’s why you should give yourself time to discover each and every part of yourself. 

Mental health & self discovery

Mental health and self discovery

In some cases when we struggle with finding our own identity, we start collecting parts of those around us to build our own.

But is that really us? 

To answer this i’ll ask you a simple question. 

Does a lion identifying with a rabbit make him a rabbit? 

Some people will say yes and others will say no. 

My answer is that it depends on the psychological state of the Lion. 

Does he identify with a rabbit because a rabbit is all he ever saw? Or does he identify with a rabbit because he knows himself well enough to choose to identify with it? 

The point i’m trying to make is that it’s okay to connect with people and make an impact on each other as it helps us in getting to know ourselves better.  

 But if their impact is too strong that we forget about who we really are, then it was never a healthy connection in the first place. 

Now, it’s time to discuss useful tips & techniques that will surely help you on your self discovery journey.

Self discovery tips & techniques

Self discovery tips

Self discovery relies on both psychological and social factors, and that’s why we’ll include both in our tips and techniques that will help you discover yourself on a much deeper level through building a stable sense of self. 

1. Separate your identity from others

Too much of anything can be unhealthy, and that includes getting extremely influenced by other people’s beliefs and core values to the point where you forget yours.

Just because you love and respect someone doesn’t mean you have to share everything in common.

Our identities stem from individuality, and it’s one thing that differentiates us from one another.

Finding your own identity mainly comes from within and then you can learn more about yourself through others, not the other way around.

How?

Me time

Spend time by yourself and get productive after a long day of interacting with others.

Try to explore yourself more after a long day of exploring the world, try thinking deeply about what interests you the most. 

Toxic people

Keep your distance from people who have you do it their way or not do it at all.

These types of people love imposing their identity and core values on others, they think they’re superior, they’ll bring you down and silence you, Simply because they prey on people who are still in the process of discovering themselves.

2. Analyze your skills 

Taking time to analyze your skills is really important, it’s a mental exercise you can’t skip. 

Your talents

What are you good at?

There are several ways to discover your own talents, for instance through a task/activity that you master either at work or elsewhere.

Your dreams

Always dream big.

Think about what you wish you were good at and that you’re willing to make an effort to get the knowledge to do it.

You can take time to think about your dreams in your “me time” or you can share your thoughts with others.

Remembering a deep conversation you previously had with your friends might also help you know yourself better.

3. Be your own best friend

No matter how many best friends you have or how close you are to some people, you should always be closer to yourself.

But how do you build a truthful friendship with yourself? 

Be unapologetically you

Be yourself no matter how much you feel like an outsider. 

Pleasing people comes at the cost of losing yourself and forgetting who you truly are!

And why be a follower when you can be the leader?

You’re original and you have so much to offer!

So, set aside the pressure that the society puts on you to meet the expectations of others and do your thing.

No judgement

Never ever judge yourself for what you like or for being different. Believe me you’re better than that! 

You don’t judge people that you love, then why do it to yourself? 

Embrace who you really are and never feel ashamed for doing what makes you happy as long as it doesn’t cause harm to anyone.

You can be whoever you want to be and you’ll find people who truly love, accept and support you for who you really are. 

4. You are unique

Know for a fact that you are unique, and have faith in yourself. 

You are special! Always keep that in mind because you are who you believe you really are.

Support yourself even if you have no one to support you, and never wait for approval from anyone to be yourself and doing what you love.

Self confidence comes from within and Failure, loses are parts of the journey to success.

5. Get productive

Keep working on yourself and improving your skills,  never lose hope when you’re feeling low, and make the best use of time when you have enough energy.

Don’t pressure yourself either, so you can carry on without losing interest or feeling drained.

Lastly, give yourself time to improve, as it takes so much effort to work both mentally and physically on yourself at the same time.

6. Choose your community wisely

Surround yourself with healthy relationships and accepting people who care for your well being, and who are also on their self awareness and self discovery journey.

In every step you take throughout your self discovery journey, you’ll meet new people, you’ll get to know them better and you’ll build new emotional connections with those around you.

7. Try therapy

Some people struggle with finding their sense of self, due to Mental illness.

If you look yourself in the mirror and you feel like you don’t realize the person you see in-front of you, then you most likely need assistance in your self discovery journey. 

Most of the time this can be caused by mental disorders especially personality disorders like borderline personality disorder. 

These disorders are most likely triggered by traumatic experiences & tough upbringing, which are hard to deal with and have negative impacts on the patient’s quality of life.

That’s why I recommend psychotherapy, as it helps you a lot in self discovery and in your healing process.

Therapy can be a scary word for a lot of people, but you can think of it as a professional type of assistance where you have the upper hand.

Because it only works if you’re willing to make an effort and work on yourself more.

8. keep track of the progress

Watch yourself mentally mature and grow as a person.

At the end of the day, you should write down points that include the progress taking place in your life.

And always keep in mind that self acceptance and self love are the key to a brighter future and a happy, productive life.