HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE BEING YOUR TRUE SELF?

RECOGNIZING WHERE AND WHEN YOU FEEL MOST LIKE YOURSELF

Authenticity

A lot of my coaching sessions are centered around being your most authentic self and taking action that resonates with who you are at your core. A question I get asked a lot is ¨how do you know if you are being your true self?¨

We are all multifaceted beings, full of contradictions and some parts of us only come out in specific situations. Also, over time we learn and grow and have different life experiences, which allow us to change. It can therefore be hard to distinguish when and if you are being your true self.

A good place to start might be to ask yourself when you feel most like yourself. Is it when you are home alone, with friends or maybe when you are on a stage? Really visualize yourself in that situation. What makes it so true to you? How does it feel? What are the sensations you feel in your body? How are you expressing yourself? Write down as much as you can about the experience, or record a voice message. You can also do this exercise with a friend and tell each other about your experience, choose which resonates most with you.

Now imagine yourself in other situations that you often find yourself in. What is the difference there? How are you acting, speaking and moving your body? What are the feelings and sensations in your body?

Now compare the situation where you feel most like yourself to the other situations. What do you notice when you observe the differences? Did you feel equally as free to express your thoughts or feel safe in your body? Or did you feel restricted or tense in the second exercise? If the latter is true, can you get more specific on what that felt like and what the feelings and thoughts were that came up?

You can even do this exercise focused on a specific area in your life, for example work. First, imagine a work setting where you felt most like yourself. Then, compare it to other work situations, perhaps your present job. What are the differences?

Through observation of our thoughts, feelings and physical sensations in certain situations you can learn a lot about where you are holding back from expressing our true opinions or where you feel somehow restricted in showing yourself. This can be the starting point of finding out the beliefs, feelings and experiences that made you feel that way, and allowing space to show more of yourself.

This can be a tricky process to navigate as it can bring up a lot of fears and old wounds. If you would like to show more of yourself but could use some guidance in finding out the root of your fears and wounds and transforming them so you can go out into the world with confidence, have a look at my coaching offer. You are not alone!

If you have done this exercise at home, I would love to hear your experiences! Feel free to send me an email telling me about what you learned.