10 Epic Self-Connection Tips (how to look within yourself)
Knowing yourself is a modern soft skill. It’s a noisy world out there, with trends and chatter constantly telling us how and who to be. But is it you?
Tapping into your authenticity makes me happier and more carefree. Life gets easier and my confidence improves.
Because nothing is more stressful than trying to be someone else or feeling out of place (and not knowing why).
So this is my guide on self awareness and how to look within.
Now let’s do this!
Table of Contents Show
What Is Self Connection?
Self connection is and a form of introspection that boosts self awareness. It’s looking deeper within yourself to connect with who you are and what your purpose, values and innate talents are.
Self connection is self reflection and unlocks clarity and closeness with your truest identity.
It’s like becoming friends with yourself. It’s knowing who you are, what you like, what makes you tick and why you do certain things.
Like that old mantra says, know thyself.
But why bother at all with this?
Benefits of Looking Within
Greater self awareness
Better decision making
Do more of what makes you happy
Learn your strengths and weaknesses
Improve your EQ skills
Get better at intuitive thinking
Improve perspective-taking
Become more confident
Understand your beliefs and habits better
Become more authentic
Feel more in control
How to Look Within (10 epic self awareness tips)
“Introspection is a soft skill. And (like any skill) it’s something you can get better at.”
1. Meditate More
One of the best ways to boost your self awareness and look deep inside yourself is through meditation.
If you’re new to it, it may take a little while to get comfortable and feel the full benefits.
But rest assured (as I speak from personal experience), it’s one of the best habits you can start to amplify your life.
There are numerous benefits, but one of the more immediate ones is introspection and a sense of self awareness.
Check out my personal approach to meditation for creativity and clarity.
2. Talk It Out
Talking things out with someone can seriously help when trying to connect with ourselves more deeply.
I think the reason is twofold.
First, we get an outside perspective on things.
Second, turning thoughts into words (rather than leaving them merely as mental notes swirling in our heads) creates more clarity and organization.
Close friends, family or speaking with a professional (such as a coach or therapist) are all great options here.
Whoever you decide to speak with, it’s just nice to have a sounding board to bounce thoughts off of from time to time.
3. Get Creative
If talking things out isn’t your speed, then getting creative may be what you need. writing is worth exploring.
Creativity is cathartic, free and one of the most vulnerable, authentic forms of self expression. And don’t worry, you don’t need to be “good” or artistic. We’re all creative — it’s part of being human.
So here are some creative outlets worth trying:
Try intuitive writing
Play with AI
Create free graphics in Canva
Make a vision board
Do scrapbooking
Do something DIY
Whatever creative outlet you try, be sure to not judge yourself and stay aware of what comes out and why.
Remember, the point is to deepen your self awareness.
Explore more:
➤ How to Be More Creative
4. Walk It Out
Taking a stroll is a great way to clear our minds.
With a little intention, it can also be a nice way to hit pause, reflect on things and look within.
You can walk through the woods, the city or your favorite spot and just watch your thoughts float by as you stroll along.
But I also like to keep my Notes app open on my phone so I can jot down any epiphanies or aha! moments I may have while walking about.
Either way, going for a walk is a great way to get perspective, reflect on things and look deeper within.
5. Practice Intuition Exercises
Let’s take intuitive writing one step further.
Intuition exercises can be a great way to connect with yourself more deeply. These are like training sessions that help you develop and strengthen your intuition.
And stronger intuition makes looking within much easier.
So here are a few quick tips and ideas for trying intuition exercises:
Try journaling
Use visualization
Do body scanning
Start a dream journal
Stay patient
Take a social detox
6. Take A (free) Test
Who doesn’t love a good self-reflection test?
I mean, it's usually pretty fun to learn more about yourself. And these can be a great way to dig deeper and look within.
You may have done something like this before. But two great self assessment tests to try are a personality test or personal value test. Both of these self assessments offer key insights into who you are, what you care about and why.
Here are my favorite free tests:
7. Push Your Comfort Zones
Comfort zones tell you a lot of information.
“My whole personality and lifestyle relates to what I consider to be comfortable, familiar and safe.”
So a great way to get clarity on these topics is to stretch beyond your comfort areas. For example, trying new things, doing stuff that scares you and traveling more are all solid things to try.
The more comfortable you get with discomfort, the more aware you become with yourself.
Here are some quick tips to push your comfort zones more:
Embrace awkwardness — love your quirks
Define your current comfort zones
Push beyond slowly and little by little
Be a beginner and learn things
Explore more:
➤ Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
8. Design Your Dream Life
What does your picture-perfect, ideal life look like?
Designing your dream life is a cool exercise and a fun way to look within yourself.
I think we all do this to some extent (let’s call it daydreaming). But we can make things a little more strategic and self reflective.
Designing a dream life means you’re dialing in on the specific details and nuances of what it is you want.
It’s a great way to look deeper inside to uncover (and create) the ideal life you want.
Here are some quick tips to get started:
Emotionally connect with your future life
Get super detailed — smells, sights, sounds, etcetera
Borrow inspirations from your favorite idols, movies and shows
Practice visualization
Start living as if it’s already happened
9. Play With Different Personas
In marketing, it’s common to create a customer avatar.
These are personas that represent an ideal version of a target audience. And entrepreneurs use them to create more customized content and messaging.
This helps brands to understand their customer’s personalities, pain points, lifestyles and values on a deeper level. So let’s borrow this move and create our own personas.
Creating an alter ego is a great way to uncover fears, discover goals and realize interests or things that resonate with you.
It’s also a popular move for artists and musicians who want to embody a more “ideal”, confident or secret version of themselves.
But to create an avatar, it requires some self reflection. So consider these questions:
Who would you be if you could be anyone?
Why do you want to embody this different persona?
Where are the biggest gaps between your alter ego and you?
What rings the most true and authentically you?
10. Stay Patient
Connecting with yourself and understanding who you really are isn’t always easy or quick. Plus, things frequently change.
As they say, the only constant is change.
So stay patient, self reflect often and expect things to evolve. This creates a healthier, longer-term, sustainable mindset.
And try not to get mad at yourself if you’re not finding all the answers straight away (or seem to be changing your mind too often).
It’s all part of the process.
Who I was three ago is totally different from who I am today.
And I assume this statement will ring true in another three years.
Later ✌️
Self connection is getting to know yourself truly.
We all have an authentic self and tapping into that version of ourselves can take me self reflection and intention.
My favorite ways to improve my self awareness are through creativity, intuition practice and designing my dream life. But whatever you decide to do, just remember to stay patient and love the process.
Self awareness is a journey and we’re always evolving. So don’t get discouraged if things aren’t clear straight away.
Still, anything is better than nothing.
Want More? Nice. Here’s More.
