Many people want to increase their mental awareness of themselves and their lives. Although it takes time and practice, you can build mental awareness by evaluating yourself and your values, changing negative thinking patterns, and finding balance in your daily life.
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Method 1 of 4: Raising Awareness
Step 1. Observe the environment and the sensory sensations you feel
To increase mental awareness, first of all, you need to observe your surroundings. Try to pay attention to environmental conditions, sensory sensations, and your breath.
- Walk mindfully. Don't daydream while walking to the bus stop, going to work, or going to school. Pay attention to your body movements. Enjoy the scenery as you walk while observing the surroundings using your senses of sight, smell and touch. Also pay attention to the movements of the people around you. Try to be aware of the sensations that occur when your feet touch the floor, your lungs expand with air, and your skin touches your clothes.
- Increase overall awareness by paying attention to the breath. If you get distracted by thinking about a problem and start daydreaming, stop immediately and focus on your breath. Noticing the breath is a way of controlling distracted thoughts because breathing is a natural rhythmic process of the body.
- Pay attention to all the sensory sensations you feel. What does the coffee you drink smell like in the morning? What does it taste like? What does your tongue feel when exposed to coffee? How do you feel when you start a new day? If you're driving to work, pay attention to the sensations you get when you hold your hand on the steering wheel, hear a song on the radio, smell the air coming in through the car window. Try to be aware of what is happening as much as possible by paying attention to the sensory sensations you are experiencing.
Step 2. Get in the habit of eating mindfully
Many people who eat while watching TV or using the computer do not have time to pay attention to the sensory sensations and tastes of food. As a result, they cannot enjoy food and tend to overeat. Therefore, make it a habit to eat mindfully.
- Do not do other activities while eating. Form the habit of eating at the dinner table until finished without doing other activities and not while watching TV.
- Eat slowly, paying attention to every bite. This will make you feel full so you don't have to look for another snack or meal afterward.
Step 3. Give a pause before doing the next activity
Many people are always in a hurry when doing daily activities so that it reduces mental awareness and causes stress. Give a pause before continuing the activity. Let the phone ring a few times before answering. Listen to his voice while thinking who is calling and why. Hold the doorknob and see how you feel before entering the house. Pause to feel, observe, and be aware of the present throughout the day.
Step 4. Be a good listener
Busyness prevents many people from listening attentively. They are busy planning while listening, thinking about the response to be given, or assessing the character of the interlocutor. Instead of doing these things, listen attentively to the other person talking and try to understand what is being said. That way, you can give the right response when it's your turn to speak.
Step 5. Practice focusing your mind
Focusing attention on the present, thoughts, and feelings is called concentration of mind. You can increase your mental awareness by focusing your thoughts on your daily activities.
- As explained above, the first step to focusing the mind is to be aware of the present while focusing the mind. Many people find it helpful to take time to observe their thoughts each day. Let your mind wander and don't interrupt if you have anxieties, problems, or desires. Don't judge or control thoughts because you just need to be aware of every thought that comes up.
- Label each negative thought that comes up. This method helps you identify negative thoughts without being influenced or having negative inner conversations. Say to yourself, "I don't think I'm going to be as successful as I want to be" or "It's possible that I'm not liked by my friends."
Step 6. Do activities that raise awareness
There are certain activities that help you increase your mental awareness and focus your mind. Look for training information that teaches the activity or practice it yourself at home.
- Meditation is a way of increasing mental awareness by observing every sensation that arises throughout the body. Start learning to meditate using guides available on the internet or by reading a book or taking a meditation course.
- Yoga is a regular exercise to stretch and flex the body by performing a series of postures. In addition to improving physical health, yoga also emphasizes the importance of building awareness of the present. Start practicing yoga regularly at a yoga studio or follow yoga guides on the internet.
- Taici is almost the same as yoga which directs participants to perform movements calmly while focusing attention on posture and breath. Yoga and taici can be done at home or in a studio.
Method 2 of 4: Self-Evaluating
Step 1. Bring back memories of your life journey
Everyone has a personal life story, there are stories that are realized, some are stored in the subconscious. The life stories and experiences you tell yourself greatly affect mental awareness. The understanding formed through this personal story will influence your actions and goals in life.
- Mental life stories can be constrained in certain ways, for example if a person perceives that he or she is a victim of the environment. This perspective tends to trigger feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. Work on increasing mental awareness by evaluating mental life stories.
- Remember the things you've been through, the people, events, and experiences that had the biggest impact on your life and why? How do you view disappointment so far? What conditions have affected you so much mentally and emotionally? By answering these questions, you can see if negative thought patterns have anything to do with the wrong perspective in your life story.
Step 2. Try to evaluate your beliefs about yourself
Beliefs about oneself are formed by oneself and the environment. A person's behavior is usually associated with his belief system. You can increase your mental awareness of your behavior by evaluating your beliefs about yourself.
- Determine the principles of life that you believe in. Write down the five virtues that you think are most important. After that, write down the assumptions that underlie those beliefs. Ask yourself: what do you think about other people? Can you trust other people? Why? Think about abstract virtues. What does it mean to be a good person? Bad people? Do you treat other people in a certain way because they contradict your views?
- Find black and white thinking habits in your beliefs. This mindset greatly influences the way you interact with other people. Maybe you haven't realized the effect it has on other people. For example, you may believe that lying is wrong behavior, regardless of the reason. As a result, you don't want to lie for your own good and don't care about the other person's feelings by telling the truth, instead being tactical by adapting your response.
- Find the habit of seeing yourself in black and white. Many people refuse to do new things or don't want to try harder to achieve success because of wrong thoughts or self-deprecation. For example, the rejection you've experienced has fostered the belief that you don't deserve to be in a loving relationship. Maybe you feel unworthy of love so you don't want to date anymore or shut yourself off. Know that your beliefs about yourself can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Step 3. Get honest feedback about you
Highly self-aware people are not afraid of criticism. They even ask for honest feedback to improve their behavior and life. Do the same if you want to increase mental awareness.
- Almost everyone has an unconscious trait, that is, a trait they show others unconsciously. Ask those closest to you to tell these traits honestly. Ask about your traits that you are least aware of. How does this trait affect your behavior?
- Many people try to defend themselves when they are told, especially if given feedback that they find contradictory or forces them to recognize negative behavior patterns. Try to break the habit of defending yourself when asking for feedback. Remember that you are struggling to become a mentally conscious adult.
Step 4. Take responsibility for your actions, thoughts, and feelings
One of the qualities of people who have mental awareness is being able to take real responsibility for their actions. Take responsibility for what you think, do, and feel.
- Know that other people will not improve your life. If you want things to get better, you have to take responsibility for doing it yourself. People who have mental awareness are already aware of this reality. Admit your mistakes and shortcomings.
- Remember that mentally conscious people accept rational responsibility. Refusing to admit that you can change things is wrong, but you have to learn to accept the fact that there are things you can't change just by acting. Accept the inevitable adversity and unavoidable circumstances so that your life changes temporarily. For example, if you want to practice running, but it's been raining all day, accept the fact that you won't be able to run until tomorrow.
Step 5. Watch yourself
Mentally aware people understand the importance of taking care of themselves. You have to take care of your body and keep your mind more aware of yourself and your environment mentally.
- Taking care of yourself means performing simple rituals that are often neglected due to the busyness of daily life, for example by getting enough sleep at night, eating three meals a day, and making time for exercise.
- Set aside time for fun. Relaxation is necessary to maintain mental health. Set aside an hour in your daily schedule for relaxation, such as listening to soft music, taking a leisurely walk, playing with your pet cat, or reading a book.
Method 3 of 4: Eliminating Negative Mindsets
Step 1. Don't beat yourself up
Blaming yourself for failure can lead to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. People who have mental awareness are able to accept irreversible circumstances. Do the same thing.
- Recognize the tendency to blame yourself that you are not aware of. Try to be aware of the emergence of self-blame thoughts when carrying out daily activities. For example, you might get to work early and a chatty coworker greets you by simply saying “hello” as you keep walking. You start blaming yourself and wondering if you did something wrong or maybe he doesn't like you. Realize that you are blaming yourself for certain situations that don't necessarily have anything to do with you.
- When you experience this, try to clear your mind by asking yourself, "Does this have anything to do with me?" Continuing the example above, your co-worker may be late for a meeting, unwell, under stress due to personal problems. Your partner's attitude may have nothing to do with you.
Step 2. Don't be a fortune teller
Unconsciously, many people like to predict the future. Mentally aware people are able to accept the fact that they don't know what will happen next.
- Remember that you can't control what hasn't happened yet. The only moment you can control is the present. Focus on the present and don't let your mind wander by creating “what if?” scenarios.
- Thinking about what would happen could lead to a fatal error this time. If you daydream all day just to imagine that you will lead a company one day, your current tasks will be neglected. Work performance decreases and the success you dream of will not come true.
Step 3. Forget the past
You will be separated from the reality of the present if you continue to remember the past. If you want things to go back to how they were before, just forget about this desire. Try to accept and realize everything that has happened.
- Mentally aware people understand that the past, however good it may be, is no longer there. Instead of just wasting time reminiscing about the past, they try to do their best in the present, even if things aren't as good as they would like.
- Reminiscing about the good old days is fun. However, remember that you can miss the positive things that are happening if you keep dwelling on the past. Value your experiences, but don't let your life be controlled by the past.
Method 4 of 4: Finding Balance
Step 1. Write expressively
People who have mental awareness are able to control their thoughts and appreciate the things they experience. You can do this by writing expressively. Putting your thoughts in writing helps you become aware of your surroundings.
- Get into the habit of keeping a diary. Establish a daily routine each night by writing down your current thoughts, fears, or hopes as honestly and in as much detail as possible.
- Expressive writing on a regular basis frees many people from persistent problems or mindsets. This will make you more mentally aware and able to appreciate what is going on.
Step 2. Get in the habit of interacting with supportive people
Mental awareness cannot be formed by trying alone. Choose self-aware, strong, and supportive people to stand by, such as friends and family members who can give you positive advice and lead a happy life.
Step 3. Accept both positive and negative feelings
People who have mental awareness are able to accept unchangeable circumstances, including feelings. Know that life can make you feel hurt and depressed. Accept the fact that positive and negative feelings are normal in life.
- Realize that people tend to want to avoid being disappointed. Unfortunately, certain habits of eliminating negative thoughts do more harm than good. Don't deal with negative things in a negative way, for example by consuming alcohol or drugs.
- Instead of trying to deal with the problem by avoiding it, try to acknowledge what you're going through when you're feeling sad, hurt, or depressed. Say to yourself, "I'm not happy right now, but this is a common occurrence and will soon pass." Mentally aware people are capable of accepting any emotion, positive and negative.
Step 4. Learn to accept uncertainty
Mentally aware people are able to accept the fact that they are not know-it-alls. Sometimes, admitting that you don't understand a situation, feeling, or person is better than making incorrect explanations or assumptions. Accept the fact that life can be confusing at times and the answer isn't always there.
- People tend to try to avoid things that are uncertain, for example by asking for excessive approval from others, making plans, rechecking, buying time, and avoiding problems. Keep a journal to record what you do because you want to avoid things that are uncertain. Write down all the activities you do to avoid uncertainty.
- Once you know how you do things because you want to avoid uncertainty, develop behaviors that make you accustomed to accepting uncertainty. For example, if you've been checking draft emails many times before sending them, send several emails each day without checking them first. Leave the house without double-checking to see if the door is locked.
- Get in the habit of journaling. Write down how you feel, for example after sending an email without checking it first. You'll find it easier to accept uncertainty by writing down how you feel.
- Keep practicing. Dealing with uncertainty comfortably takes time and practice. Start with small habits, such as leaving the house without checking if you've locked the door and then do things that are more difficult. For example, you don't like going to parties because you're not sure what's going to happen when you socialize. Force yourself to go to parties alone or attend social gatherings you normally avoid.
