Training your self-perception is an important process for understanding your inner thoughts, feelings, beliefs and behaviors. This is particularly relevant because becoming more aware of your own reactions can help you analyze and manage situations more effectively and prevent harmful behaviors. Here’s a step-by-step guide to training your self-perception and why it’s valuable:
Step-by-Step Instructions to Train Your Self-Perception:
1. Get Prepared:
You only need a pen and paper or a digital device suitable for making notes to begin. Set aside a certain amount of time each day (10 minutes) to reflect on your experiences.
2. Focus on Specific Situations:
Pay attention to everyday moments where your thoughts or feelings are connected to something relevant to your goals, such as risky situations, interactions with children or any sexual thoughts or fantasies. By identifying these situations, you can better understand how your inner processes affect you.
3. Document the Situation:
When you experience a situation that involves thoughts or behaviors you’d like to change, write it down.
- Who was involved?
- Where did it happen?
- When did it occur?
This helps you identify the context of the situation.
4. Reflect on Your Thoughts and Feelings:
- What were your thoughts at that moment? Were they positive, negative, or neutral?
- How did you feel emotionally? Were you anxious, calm, guilty, or something else?
5. Note Physical Sensations:
- Pay attention to any physical changes in your body. For example, did your heart race, did you feel tense, or did your body react in any other way?
6. Observe Your Behavior:
- What did you do in response to these thoughts and feelings? Did you take any action, or did you just observe?
7. Acknowledge the impulses:
- If you experienced any desire or urge to behave inappropriately, write it down. Acknowledging these impulses is key in controlling them before they manifest into harmful behavior.