Connecting to your Authentic Self

Your authentic self is who you truly are as a person, along with all your values, your purpose, priorities, and needs. Living from an authentic place is when you are living in a way that is aligned with your values and purpose. It means living in congruence!

Connection to our authentic selves can get fractured and confused among external pressures, desire for others approval, busyness, and all the noise around us. Especially if codependency or being overly focused on others is a part of your story, it can take intention and deeper work to start to reconnect with your authentic self.

If you want to start exploring your authentic self, here are a few places to start:

Journaling

Journaling is a simple, accessible way to get to know yourself. You can start by putting pen to paper and allowing yourself to write freely or you can purchase a guided journal online. With so many different options, you can likely find a guided journal that resonates with you. If pen to paper doesn’t work for you, try a voice recording, an art journal, or another creative method of expressing yourself.

Solo Time

Being around others and socializing can be nourishing, but we also need time alone to reconnect with ourselves. Try setting some time aside to be with yourself and think about creating boundaries around your alone time. Maybe you try sitting in silence, or maybe you engage in an activity or hobby.

Values Work

Take some time to be mindful of your values. You can find lists of values words online that you can use to identify which values are most important to you. Values work can also be done in the context of therapy if you would prefer more guidance. Once you identify your values, it becomes clearer when you are living according to your values, not someone else’s.

Exploring Your Purpose

What is your purpose? This is a big question that warrants some attention. Identifying with a purpose can help you live from an authentic place and provide you with an internal guidance.

Mindfulness

Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally”. When building connection to your authentic self, use mindfulness to pay attention to your internal state; your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and sensations. Mindfulness is a powerful way to build self-awareness.

Therapy is a valuable tool in learning more about your authentic self. See more about Healing House’s therapy services and how we can help.

Authored by: Anna Zapata, LPC