The Beginning Path towards Self Awareness comes with Isolation (a whole lot of it)

But it does get better…

I started my Self-awareness journey almost two years back. It was hard! Very, very hard.

As I began gulping knowledge through books, videos, podcasts, and so many other avenues, the curtain slowly started to lift on the reality of things. It included topics such as past traumas, mindfulness, NPD, Gaslighting, self-compassion, creating boundaries, family systems, learning confidence/assertiveness, energy vampires, plastic pollution, global warming, corporations, food habits, food wastage, minimalism, capitalism, fast-fashion, deforestation, and even about my own body (and lots more!).

Just like getting used to a new diet, exercise, or any new skill, it took time to adjust to the self-awareness lifestyle.

The beginning of the Self-awareness journey was painfully hard because I learned about things that we usually considered “normal.” Through learning and awareness, I realized that most of the “normal” things we did were whack-out abnormal. To give you a picture, here are few “normal” things that I find weird now:

Eating Ice Cream, donuts, cheap chocolates (high processed sugar and milk from an animal), using plastic bags in grocery stores (rampant plastic pollution and landfills in-spite of good alternatives), putting kitchen waste in a trash can (knowledge about composting and the ill-effects of mixing organic waste with plastic/paper), eating fried food more than thrice a week (our bodies are crying for help), living life based on other’s opinions etc.

Self-awareness also put my close relationships through a lot of stress. Once I started gaining more information, I unknowingly began judging people for leading an “abnormal” life, although I lived the exact same one a minute ago. Other than judgment, the other aspect was that people were triggered by their own insecurities when I started doing things “differently”.

Therefore, self-awareness came with a lot of isolation.

Although challenging, there were few ways by which I was able to make these “growing pains” less painful.

Here are few things that personally helped me through the process:

1)Having a “Growth buddy”:

Having a growth partner can be remarkably helpful. For me, it was my brother and sister-in-law. They were almost in the same phase as I was, and we often talked about the things we learned along with the stupidness we were stuck with when we didn’t know any better.

In all honesty, we also judged others and later felt guilty for judging others because if there was anything that growth taught us, it was to be kinder to both self and others.

But having someone to talk to and just be a mirror for each other was especially helpful.

2)Observe when things get “too much”:

There used to be times when I was reading and learning every waking hour. If I even had a minute of free time, I would put on an audiobook or podcast and continue doing some chores.

Needless to say, I got drained out pretty quickly, and it took me about a week or so to recover from the crash.

It’s essential to be aware of your mental/emotional health while you grow. Take time to meditate and observe how you are feeling.

Pause.

3)DO NOT teach others:

Your growth journey isn’t about being a Guru. Your growth journey is precisely what the sentence means. It’s YOUR growth journey.

I didn’t realize this early on and made the mistake of sharing my “newfound knowledge” with everyone I knew. It took time for me to understand that not everyone were in the same place in Life as I was. Additionally, some learnings came with privilege — the privilege of time, resources, age and mental capacity.

So, please do not try to teach others. If others get inspired by what you do, trust me, they will approach you, and only the right people will come to you.

4)DO NOT forget to laugh at times:

While we go through a growing phase, we tend to remain serious ALL THE TIME. Life is not just about learning. It’s about laughing and having fun while you are learn.

I would highly recommend adding a reminder to your phone to remember to laugh or watch something super fun while doing all the fantastic things you do to raise your consciousness.

5)It’s Okay to be Sad and Cry:

While I was on my journey, there used to be days when I felt powerless. I couldn’t get out of bed or do the everyday chores. It took me time to realize that this was part of the journey.

Such days helped me pause from my fast-paced Life and release the stuck emotions I had inside me. It made me realize that sad days were as important as happy ones.

6)Seek Professional help:

Learning about various aspects of my childhood, personality and Life, in general, was not easy. Even though I had the support of my sibling and partner, at times, it wasn’t enough. This is where professional help really supported me.

I had sessions with my Life coach twice a month for about one year. In addition to providing one-on-one sessions, I was (am) also part of a community that helped (and still is) me through the process. It was useful to see things from an un-related third-person perspective.

Before you dismiss seeking professional help, whether it be Therapy or Life coach, I would highly recommend seeking resources and convincing yourself that it isn’t worth your time and money.

It was unquestionably worth every penny and minute for me.

One last thing to know here is that Self-awareness is a room with infinite doors. Every day you learn something new.

I have been on this journey for just two years now, and I am convinced that it would take me ten lifetimes (or much more) to know everything about human Life’s complexities. The weird irony is that there is no perfect answer, but there is a “better one”. I think that’s what we seek in Self-awareness. How can we be better?

I hope your journey helps you expand and evolve.

Check out my YouTube channel for inspiring videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBfUxVSxC0koxGSkwzVRYzQ