We went out to breakfast, and every time the server checked in or asked if we needed something, I kept catching my brain thinking,
“I don’t want to be a bother,”
or some variation based on the belief that my existence created an inconvenience for everyone else.
Then another part of my brain spoke up, saying,
“Knock it off, Bri. We’ve been through this. You have every right to ask for what you want. You are as deserving as every other human being on this planet.”
That snapped me to attention, and I shared with my wife what was happening in my head. Talking about it helps me understand it even more clearly.
I was better able to self-advocate throughout the rest of our date.
The self-awareness I’ve developed over the years has made me more skillful in catching the worst tendencies of my brain, including impulses.
It makes it easier to spot them so I can stop them instead of acting on them.
Self-awareness is the most important skill to have because it allows us to understand which opportunities for growth best match the aspects of yourself that could benefit from strengthening, educating, regulating etc.
Let’s face it you can’t improve it if you don’t even acknowledge it.