Self-awareness: The first frontier

Correct labeling of the present affective state.

The primary skill that underpins all genuine psychological growth is the ability to decipher with extreme precision what is going on inside us during a specific moment.

When socially questioned about our state of mind, the vast majority of people respond with generic catch-all terms devoid of deep meaning, such as saying that we feel great or simply relaxed.

Such superficial and automatic responses do not describe real passions at all.

The real labels we should master involve openly acknowledging in front of the mirror whether we harbor pent-up anger, paralyzing frustration, radiant bliss or heavy melancholy.

Unfortunately, modern dynamics have conditioned us to ignore this valuable intimate diagnosis; we spend much of our existence suffering from bodily discomfort and unpleasantness without even being able to adequately name or understand the invisible root of our inner suffering.

Identifying the negative accumulation effect

To clearly evidence the importance of this rigorous self-observation, let's imagine a catastrophic morning where our cell phone fails to charge the battery, then we accidentally drop our keys down a grille, and finally discover that our vehicle has a completely flat tire.

After dealing with the subsequent collapse of alternative transportation, we arrive at our workstation completely saturated with irritation.

Suddenly, a friendly co-worker calmly informs us that the scheduled session has been postponed.

Without a second's thought, we unleash all our pent-up anger by shouting disproportionately at the person.

Obviously, our irrational fury is not directed at the communicating collaborator, but at the dense accumulation of morning disasters.

Possessing an accurate self-diagnosis allows us to internally process the tension before unjustly detonating against innocent individuals, thus facilitating alternative and healthy channels to release the accumulated charge.

Summary

The main basis of psychological development lies in properly identifying our intimate states. We habitually use empty and generic responses to evade deep inner scrutiny.

We endure numerous daily frustrations without stopping to recognize our true feelings. This troubling personal disconnection prevents us from managing irritation in a truly healthy way.

Accumulating progressive annoyances generates destructive explosions on completely innocent individuals. Understanding our original annoyance allows us to effectively process the tension, avoiding work and social injustices.