How to Use Meditation for Self-Awareness

In my previous post, I described that observing, noticing and listening to yourself are how you develop self-awareness. But how do you train your brain to slow down to remember to do these things? The answer is to practice slowing down your mind and to practice being aware. Meditation provides this practice.

The goal of meditation is to build awareness.

A friend of mine that teaches meditation told me that the goal of meditation is not to relax, but rather to build awareness. Even with my limited meditation experience, this makes sense to me. With meditation, you practice becoming aware – aware of when your thoughts interrupt what you’re trying to focus on. If you’re like me, this happens almost constantly!

“But I don’t have the patience to meditate!”- You?

It’s normal to feel impatient with meditation’s purposeful quietude. If your mind is racing while you’re sitting quietly, do not fret. Every attempt you make at meditation is a step toward training your brain to become more comfortable with the act of slowing down. Every time that you notice when an intrusive thought pops up, you are building awareness. Instead of chastising yourself when your mind wanders, congratulate yourself for noticing!

Meditation develops awareness because you practice being aware.

When you meditate, you practice both slowing down and noticing – key elements in building self-awareness. Mindful.org provides a basic meditation to train awareness.

“The goal of meditation is not to get rid of thoughts or emotions. The goal is to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions and learn how to move through them without getting stuck.” - Dr. Philippe Goldin

Journaling is another effective method to train your brain to slow down to reflect on your thoughts and feelings rather than solely reacting to them. I’ll write about journaling in my next post. Have you meditated lately?