It’s that time of the year again: when we start thinking about what went well in the past and what aspects of our lives we can improve in the coming year. Whether it’s working out more, finally starting that passion project, or traveling the world, we all have goals that we want to achieve but somehow get pushed to the back burner. Working towards your goals is an act of self-improvement.
But what does self-improvement truly mean?
To a lot of us, it can feel like a big, lofty idea of extreme radical transformation; one where we go from working jobs to becoming yogis in mountains, or where we sell everything we own and live in a van.
While self-improvement can look like that, it’s a lot simpler. Something as simple as eating a little healthier or building a habit to workout is an act of self-improvement.
According to Merriam-Webster, self-improvement is the act or process of improving oneself by one’s own actions.
As humans, we are in a constant journey to improve, and the concept of ‘self-improvement’ plays a huge role in that. Focusing on self-improvement has many benefits. Self-improvement helps enhance our strengths, improves our mental health, helps improve our relationships, and helps us build better habits.
Here are 4 reasons why self-improvement should be a priority for you in 2022.
1. Increase Self-Awareness
The only way to improve yourself is to first know yourself. Self-improvement helps you get in touch with yourself, become more aware of your personality, and understand your thoughts and feelings. As you build self-awareness, you can understand what works for you and what doesn’t, so that you can easily overcome roadblocks and grow even faster.
2. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
As you work on yourself, you will inevitably have to step out of your comfort zone. Whether it’s going to the gym or waking up a bit earlier, self-improvement is based on the idea of doing something new. While that can be uncomfortable at first, it also builds your tolerance to different situations. As you keep putting yourself out of your comfort zone, putting yourself in new and different situations becomes more comfortable. Ultimately, stepping out of your comfort zone becomes your new comfort zone!
3. Improve Mental Health
As you build self-awareness and practice getting to know your thoughts and feelings, you start to understand why certain events make you feel a certain way. This is key to improving your mental health and emotionally regulating yourself.
As you observe your thoughts and emotions, you can then get better at tackling negative emotions and choosing your responses rather than reacting. This can help you stop from going down a negative spiral towards depression and anxiety.
4. Build Self Confidence
Becoming more disciplined, improving your habits, and working towards becoming a happier and healthier person inevitably boosts your confidence. By watching yourself grow, you build your self-esteem, which will spill over onto other areas of your life as well. You start to feel that you can do things you once thought were hard. You begin to trust yourself. You begin to step into your power.
