Recognizing when you’re not being authentic may sound like a difficult task, but it’s easier than you think. We encounter our authentic selves more than we realize, yet we may suppress it for various reasons (i.e. People Pleasing).
One sure way of recognizing when you’re not being authentic is paying close attention to what you think and feel in the first instant of a situation.
There is a physiological response your body gives. If you’re uncomfortable, you’re body will tense up and your emotions will coincide.
I think that one way we truly fail at recognizing this is believing that it has to make perfect sense or we have to be able to articulate it. So much of what we encounter is on a higher plane of consciousness. We pick up on what is called vibes. Our intuition. When we want to be angry, we force ourselves to be nice and smile. When we want to cry and express hurt, we hold it in and say, “No big deal, I’m okay”. When in essence we are doing ourselves a great disservice by invalidating our authentic self.
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When you refuse to express your feelings, for whatever reason, you are invalidating who you are and thus inhibiting your authentic self from rising and existing.
Have you ever experienced the opposite? Where you said everything you meant, felt and didn’t mask it? You may have cried, you may have even yelled a bit. Yet, once your were done expressing yourself, you felt a sense of relief, accomplishment and peace of mind.
It doesn’t have to be as dramatic. Have you ever disagreed with someone and simply offered a different perspective? It’s easy to go along to get along. It’s easy to agree with the crowd and move when everyone else does.
I remember, in my rebellious stage, I would deliberately do the opposite of what the majority did. I would disagree with the majority and make my case. Now, I would not recommend this for everyone unless you’re ready to for the critical opinions of others, but if you want to practice individuality, try disagreeing with the majority. This is what many debate teams do. You get to know a side of your mind that can consider more than one perspective and defend it.
This will also help you to recognize your feelings towards various situations; current events, religion, politics, education, foreign affairs, etc. You begin formulating intelligent opinions rooted in what you know, feel and believe.
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You can recognize when you’re not being authentic by the way you feel after you’ve expressed yourself. Have you ever expressed an opinion and later found yourself wishing you would have said something else, something more or maybe nothing at all?
Also pay attention to how you feel when in the process. Any time you do the opposite of what you feel you are being keyed into recognizing when you’re not being genuine, true, real, and thus inferior to yourself.
Think back to a moment when you didn’t listen to that voice of reason or intuition and what the result was. How would you handle that knowing a little more about your authentic self?
Hone in on the signals your body gives and what you feel. Often we do the opposite to prevent rocking the boat, or out of fear of disappointing someone. It’s time to rock the boat and be FEARLESSLY AUTHENTIC!
