Most people walk through life constantly worried about staying connected to their friends, their families, their communities, and their coworkers. While having strong bonds with the people around you is certainly important, you should never neglect getting to know yourself as part of the process. With this article, you will learn about some of the top tips for connecting with yourself so you can live a happy, fulfilled life.
1. Look Into Your Past and Connect With Your Roots
There’s an old saying that says “you don’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.” This saying is particularly apt when you are thinking about how to better connect with yourself. The uplifting part is that you can use genealogy and family records to dig up your past and find out more about your origins.
When looking into your past, you can find plenty of reliable sources to consult, such as 1950 census records. Using a dedicated genealogy service can yield amazing results, showing you whole timelines, lineages, and stories about the people who form your bloodline. This kind of work is an excellent way to get to know yourself better, as you will often see clear patterns that play out across generations.
Gaining a more crystallized view of your lineage will provide you with tools to improve your life. Self-knowing is a foggy process, and it often begins with the past. When you can make peace with your past, and your family’s, you can empower yourself to live a fuller, richer present.
2. Pick Up a Meditation Practice
Meditation has become very popular in recent years. There are several benefits of meditation, from increased focus to better sleep, and less stress. Meditation is also one of the best techniques that you can use to get connected with your internal world.
The more you practice mindfulness the more you will start to see just how fast your thoughts move. In many cases, your brain is cranking out so many thoughts that it’s impossible to keep track of them. Getting closer to these subconscious processes will give you several advantages in learning about how you process difficult emotions and handle unexpected hurdles in your life.
Meditation doesn’t have to be a chore. Simply commit to setting aside ten, twenty, or thirty minutes a day to sit alone in a quiet space with your eyes closed. You can use a guided meditation program or just sit in silence; regardless of your approach, this practice is sure to get you in touch with your mind, body, and spirit.
3. Go For a Long Walk Alone in Nature
Nature is vast and mysterious and it has often been the sanctuary of relief for all kinds of people throughout history. When you go for a walk alone in nature, problems and stresses that you have been battling in your busy life tend to lift themselves. In this empty space, it is far easier to process your struggles and get to know yourself in a natural, intimate way.
Long walks in nature also have the added benefit of giving you access to fresh, clean air. If you live in a big city or a clustered urban environment, you are likely experiencing low levels of stress each day, many of which you are probably not even noticing. Cleansing your day with a long walk in nature will help you unwind and reveal deeper truths about your life.
4. Start an Exercise Routine
Exercise is another great way to connect with yourself. In fact, doing anything difficult will help you to better understand how you behave when you are doing something that isn’t seen as fun or enjoyable. High-impact workouts will test you the most, leading to the most possible angles of self-discovery.
However, you don’t have to beat yourself up with your workout routine. Staying consistent with your workouts is the most important element, so be sure to set the bar low when you are just starting out. You may even want to call a friend and have them keep you accountable for your goals and routines in the gym.
5. Create Art (However You Want)
The power of art is one that is hard to understand. Humans of all cultures, across all generations, have used various forms of artistic expression to create deeper connections with themselves and others. Only you can know if the type of art you create helps you connect to yourself on a deeper level.
The fact remains that most people will never know what kind of art is sitting dormant inside of them, just waiting to burst out and change the world. Art is a transformative process that gives you intimate levels of self-knowing and provides a new lens with which to view your life. Whether you pick up a paintbrush or a piano, starting an artistic practice will help you connect to yourself.
6. Take a Personality Quiz
In the modern world, there are plenty of personality quizzes that you can take to better understand how you function. Finding the right quiz may be a matter of trial and error, but the options will often reveal new facets of your personality to you. Whether psychological or emotional in nature, personality quizzes are an excellent tool for self-discovery.
One of the most popular quizzes is the Myers-Briggs personality test. This will help you understand how you tend to behave in social settings and explain your stance on key issues such as confrontation and boundary-setting. If this test isn’t for you, there are plenty more to take.
7. Travel Alone
Traveling alone is a scary prospect to most people. Barring any safety issues, solo travel can be one of the most powerful ways to connect with yourself. When you do so in a safe manner, this can be the time of your life, providing you with an optimal level of challenge and creating memories that will last forever.
Try to plan a trip that pushes you outside of your comfort zone. Finding a new place is sure to light up your novelty sensors and take you on a journey of self-learning and growth.
8. Write Down Your Goals and Dreams
Gaining perspective is often just a matter of setting aside some time to get clear on your own internal dreams. So many people allow months, years, or even decades of their lives to pass by without ever really examining their wants and needs. Writing down every last detail about your aspirations will help you get closer to yourself, and to nourish those parts of yourself you may have been ignoring.
Get very clear on how you want to structure your life and many puzzle pieces will begin to align with your path. When you are writing down your goals and dreams, start with the big ones first and work your way down to the smaller ones. Giving yourself room for failure and experimentation is helpful, as no one is perfect and beating yourself up for not achieving your goals will only lead to further setbacks and disappointments.
Connecting with yourself is an ongoing process, and it’s one that grows and evolves as you do. This lifelong journey is best absorbed with a deep understanding of your own wants, needs, and desires. Use these techniques to know yourself and unlock your full potential.
