How To Look Within Yourself: 7 Helpful Steps 

There are various reasons you may need to know how to look within yourself. You may need to heal from past trauma, you may even be on a spiritual journey and dedicated to self-improvement, or you may want to figure out what you want. But what does this mean? How do you look within yourself? – A practice that many people find a lot easier said than done. 

‘Within’ lies our true, raw, authentic self. Within lies our values, morals, how we want to be seen by others, our weaknesses, and our greatest strengths. Within lies our life purpose and what’s most valuable and important to us. To look within means to think about and question how we think and feel about things. 

1. Being honest with ourselves

Being honest with yourself forms the foundation of looking within and becoming a better version of yourself. We have all lied to ourselves at some point or another. Reasons for doing so vary, but they can consist but not limited to the following; 

–       Hide our guilt and shame 

–       Bury our hands in the sand 

–       To avoid making decisions 

–       When we are scared of change or consequences 

–       If we want to see the good in people 

–       When we refuse to accept the reality of a situation 

With that being said, we lie to ourselves simply because the truth can hurt!!! 

When we become honest with ourselves, we set ourselves free and begin being our authentic selves. We no longer have to run and hide; and we can face our problems and work towards solutions.  

We gain self-acceptance because we acknowledge our flaws and weaknesses and accept what we can change and what we cannot, and it also allows us to become honest with others.  

Being honest with ourselves isn’t the easiest thing to do, and like most things, it takes practice and patients. 

2. Accepting responsibility for our thoughts and feelings

When we take responsibility for our thoughts and feelings, we gain our power back. We fall out of the ‘victim’ mentality that all we fall privy to once in a while, and we put the onus back on ourselves. Liberating ey? 

We get to decide how we want to feel, and we get to decide to choose positive thoughts that nourish our subconscious and feed our soul. 

Sure, there will be times when you will feel sad, angry, depressed, we are human, and it’s unrealistic to think that you can be positive and happy 100% of the time. The critical thing to remember is that when we experience negative emotions, it’s okay to sit with those feelings; we don’t have to run from them, push them away or feel guilty about having them. Take them as they are, embrace them, but don’t hold on to them – let it go!  

3. Meditation

Meditating can be one of the most effective ways to help you look within as it’s excellent for quietening the mind and listening to your inner voice. 

Matthew Thorpe and Rachael Link explains how meditation can also help you grow into your best self as it can help you develop a greater understanding of yourself – Healthline.com. 

4. Self-reflection

Self-reflection is a vital part of growing and learning. It allows us to examine our progress, strengths, and weaknesses, look at areas of our life that we feel we could improve or change, and examine how we can do things better. 

‘Self-reflection is like looking in the mirror and describing what you see’ – The Open University  

Some of us don’t realise how often we self-reflect without even knowing we are doing it. Have you ever had a falling out with your loved one and thought about the argument over and over, regretting the things you said? Yup, me too – that’s self-reflection.

5. Trusting ourselves

I believe we cannot grow and meet our full potential if we do not trust ourselves; why is it that we often place trust in other people but do not ourselves?  

We always know what is best for us. Often it just takes a little time to tap into the intuition that guides us to do right by ourselves. When you trust yourselves, you follow your instincts.  

Trusting ourselves means we are more inclined to take risks, do things outside of our comfort zone and do things that terrify us. This is the space where growth happens, and we know that everything will be okay in the end no matter what!

6. Taking time for self-care

In our fast-paced, busy lives, self-care is vital to look after our health and well-being. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so we must first give to ourselves in order to give to others. 

Many individuals will practice self-care differently, and some may even have interpreted different meanings of what self-care means for them. Ultimately, it plays a crucial role in helping you look within yourself because it enables us to look after our emotional well-being. Self-care practices can include: 

• Pampering
• Eating healthy foods
• Treating yourself 
• Meditating 
• Relaxing 
• Doing things you enjoy and that bring you pleasure 

7. Spending time alone

looking within yourself requires us to spend time alone with ourselves. We can often forget our voice if we don’t drown the outside noise of people, opinions, judgments, and expectations. 

‘one of the most common experiences deriving from solitude is creativity, spiritual growth, and time to explore values and goals without interference or distraction.’ – Shoba Sreenivashan & Linda E Weinberger – Psychology Today  

Spending time alone allows you to learn more about yourself and understand your wants and needs. 

Conclusion

To conclude, there are various methods to help us learn how to look within ourselves, each requiring us to take a step back and examine ourselves on a deeper level no matter the approach we choose to follow.  

The fact is, everything starts with OURSELVES, and we have to understand who we truly are and be willing and committed to focusing on our inner world if we want the best from our external world. 

Looking within yourself may not always be the easiest thing to do if it’s new to you, but find the most comfortable approach, and you will be well on your way to getting to know yourself on a deeper level and finding the answers you seek!