Unlocking the Path to Greater Self-Awareness
- Ingmar Nieuwold
- Jun 8
- 3 min read
Self-awareness isn’t a luxury, it’s foundational. It’s what allows us to pause, observe ourselves honestly, and steer our lives from a place of clarity instead of habit. It’s also not something you tick off a list — it’s a continuous unfolding.
In my practice, I meet people who feel stuck. Not because they lack intelligence or willpower, but because they’re disconnected from what’s actually happening inside them. That inner world — our thoughts, patterns, emotions — is always there, but we rarely give it space to speak. We rather avoid, because this is how we stayed alive long ago with bears and sabretooth tigers hunting us.
Understanding Self-Awareness
Self reflection is the ability to witness yourself. To recognise your internal patterns, your blind spots, your coping mechanisms — and also your deeper values, longings, and strengths. It’s both tender and courageous work.
We can look at two levels:
Internal self-awareness: seeing yourself clearly from within. Knowing what drives you, what feels off, what energises you, what drains you.
External self-awareness: recognising how others perceive you. Not to people-please, but to get a fuller picture of your impact.
When both are present, you move through life with more integrity. Less autopilot, more alignment.
Researchers have shown that higher levels of self-awareness correlate with greater life satisfaction, emotional intelligence, and the ability to cope with stress. For instance, a study from the University of California found that individuals with high self-awareness are 30% more likely to achieve their goals.
The Benefits of Self-Awareness
Understanding why self-awareness matters can motivate you to pursue it actively.
You start making decisions that actually feel right — not just logical on paper.
Your relationships become more honest, more spacious.
You get better at naming what you feel, and why — which is the first step to not being ruled by it.
You become more resilient. Setbacks become teachers, not prisons.
By enhancing your self-awareness, you allow yourself to live authentically, staying true to your values while adapting to challenges.
Strategies for Developing Self-Awareness
There’s no single recipe, but here are a few tools I often come back to, both personally and in my work with clients:
1. Presence and pause
It sounds simple, but pausing — truly stopping for a few moments — lets you catch the habitual mind in action. Whether through meditation, nature walks, or bodywork, the key is presence without performance.
You can also engage in activities like yoga, which combine movement with breath, facilitating a deeper connection to your internal state.
2. Reflective Journaling
Not for eloquence, but for clarity. A private place where thoughts can land uncensored. Try asking yourself questions like:
What moved me today?
Where did I go numb?
What did I avoid?
This act of reflection helps to clarify your beliefs and behaviours over time, making you more self-aware.
3. Honest reflection with others
Sometimes we need a mirror. Someone who listens without fixing, but who also isn’t afraid to tell the truth. Whether that’s a friend, partner, or therapist — choose people who see you clearly and kindly.
4. Personal Development Coaching
Consider working with a coach who specializes in self-awareness. A coach can help you identify patterns in your behaviour and guide you toward personal growth. They can offer personalized strategies that resonate with you, facilitating a deeper understanding of yourself.
5. Engage in New Experiences
New situations — especially ones that stretch us — reveal how we cope, where we hide, and what parts of ourselves want to grow. It could be a new creative outlet, a silent retreat, or simply saying yes where you’d usually say no.
6. Somatic work
The body remembers. Sound, touch, movement — these help bring unconscious patterns to the surface without needing to intellectualise everything.
Self-awareness isn’t about becoming perfect or polished. It’s about becoming real. It invites humility, curiosity, and a bit of humour. It asks us to stay close to our inner life while staying open to feedback from the world around us. And it’s worth it — because life becomes less about control, and more about connection.
If any of this resonates… maybe take a moment today to pause. Not to fix anything, but just to notice. How you’re feeling. What’s alive in you. What’s quietly asking for your attention.
And if you feel called to explore this work more deeply — with sound, stillness, or conversation — you’re welcome to reach out. This is the heart of what I do. Ingmar
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