16 SELF-AWARENESS 2: WHAT ARE YOU LIKE?
Know yourself, know your enemy,
A hundred battles, a hundred victories.
Mao Tse-Tung
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For one week jot down every negative reaction towards yourself in your
notebook. Include all self-criticisms and put downs (spoken and
unspoken), self-defeating and self-sabotaging behaviour, and so on.
Write them down as soon as you can.
Look at what you’ve written. What can you learn from it?
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Every day for one week spend 20 minutes in quiet contemplation,
getting in touch with your inner self. Sit or lie comfortably, take a deep
breath and close your eyes. Focus your attention on what’s going on
inside you: bodily sensations, thoughts, emotional feelings, mental
images and daydreams. If possible vary these sessions by time of day –
morning, midday, afternoon and evening to allow for the fact that
moods and feelings fluctuate throughout the day.
Immediately after each session write down whatever comes to mind.
107
Write down these sentences and fill in the gaps:
‘I lack the confidence to..., but now I know I can overcome my doubts.’
‘I get anxious when..., but now I know I can conquer my fears.’
Take each in turn and quickly write down the first six things that enter
your head.
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