Self-Awareness is where emotional intelligence begins. Until the individual becomes aware of his/her surroundings, how those experiences affect them, and individual values, beliefs and norms are established the individual will struggle to relate to others.
Self-awareness is recognizing how our own emotions influence our own behavior, affect the interactions with others, and if we have the potential to influence another person’s emotional state. Consider that:
- Our emotions are in a constant state of change from one moment to the next.
- You may experience multiple emotions at any one time.
- Stress creates particular difficulty of emotional awareness and we are least likely to be conscious of and actively managing our emotions.
- Stress creates mental blocks in cognition, inhibiting the ability to separate emotions from circumstance, limiting the ability to manage oneself, the situation, and to influence others.
Self-Awareness is having a clear perception of your personality, your strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions. Clarity of these perceptions can change based on environment – e.g. at work vs. at home. Self-Awareness is the gateway to understanding how other people perceive you, your attitude, and your behavior during social interactions.