10-Steps to Self-Awareness Experiment!

In my blog post Healing Starts with Self-Awareness, I discussed what self-awareness is and how it can bring healing to your body, mind, and emotions.

In this post, I’ve put together the Self-Awareness Experiment to give you a better understanding of what self-awareness is.

EXPERIMENT EXERCISE 1

1) Stand on one foot for as long as you can and observe with all your senses. (If standing is not possible, you can do this sitting down and lift your leg or arm instead).

2) While performing this action, keep in mind the following questions: This is critical - DO NOT JUDGE ANY OF YOUR THOUGHTS OR ACTIONS, just do it!

• Over time, you’ll notice your leg start to shake. You may feel the muscle behind your knee tighten up.

• Are your toes starting to curl as you use your strength to hold tight to the ground?

• If you are barefoot, can you feel the texture of the floor beneath you?

• If you are in sneakers, can you feel the inner cushion push up into your foot?

• As you try to stay standing, you might notice you take a deep breath to strengthen your core.

• What do you hear? Is there a child running around in the background? Is the TV on?

• What do you see? Are you focused on a point at the wall or are you looking around? What color is the wall? Are you still trying to read this blog?

• What does the room smell like?

• Does it hurt yet? Did your body jolt from trying to stay standing?

If you haven’t done so already, you can put your foot down!

3) Write down everything you experienced with each of your senses. What did you feel? Hear? See? Smell? Think? Taste?

4) Now ask yourself these questions:

• What were your thoughts? Did you experience stress, fear, worry or guilt?

• What do your emotions feel? Was there hurt, anger, a feeling of aloneness, sadness?

• Did you want to lash out in defense, blame someone for what you perceived or ever question what you observed?

If you answered ‘None of the above’ to those questions, then, Congratulations, you just spent a few minutes of your life being self-aware!

Now that wasn’t hard was it?

So, what is self-awareness? Self-awareness is bringing a clearer perception to your physical self, mental thoughts and attached emotions, otherwise ignored.

EXPERIMENT EXERCISE 2

Let’s try the experiment again, only this time we will focus on a thought or emotion.

5) Sit in a comfortable position and take a few moments to relax your body. Without touch, feel the muscles in your face, your arms, your legs and scan your entire body from your toes to the top of your head and ensure that each part of your body is in a relaxed state.

6) Close your eyes and take the time to bring an awareness of your remaining senses.

7) Now think about an event that frustrated you recently. Did someone anger you this morning? Were you frustrated while standing in line at the grocery store? Whatever the event, bring it to your attention.

8) Similar to the experiment in Exercise 1, remain detached and an observer. You are watching your thoughts and emotions as you would be watching the wind blowing the leaves on the trees outside.

9) Stay focused on the event with no thoughts or emotions attached to it. If judgment, shame or any talk begins, tell yourself this mantra: “STOP, my focus is to replay and watch.”

10) Continue the exercise until you are completely detached from any thoughts or emotions.

Go back to the questions in Exercise 1. If you answered 'None of the above' just as you did in the first exercise, You have achieved a state of self-awareness with your thoughts and emotions!

While the last part is not easy and takes practice, Congratulate yourself for beginning the process of practicing self-awareness!