In many traditional and new-age philosophies, the mind is made up of a series of different overlapping layers, each with its own purpose. Essentially, these layers are constructions of our own mind and, therefore, with the correct approach, they can also be destroyed when we need to reexamine and modify our innermost motivations, fears, sadness, worries and aspirations. Knowing yourself is the key to moving beyond the superficial thought level and to untangling your inner layers. Gaining such self-knowledge can take some time, so be patient and practice consistently to achieve this heightened state of awareness.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Explore Your Inner Mind
Enter the Appropriate State of Mind
The instructions in this section should help you achieve a peaceful state of mind that allows for later introspection. If you wish to proceed directly with the introspection, click here.
Step 1. Set the scene
Investigating the depths of your mind is not something you can do while having a coffee on the way to work. This careful introspection requires on your part: time, concentration and attention. Before you begin, find a safe, comfortable, and quiet place to stay undisturbed for a while. If necessary, eliminate any light or noise that may be distracting.
- The place can be wherever you feel at peace; a cozy armchair in your study, a mattress on the floor of an unfurnished room or even an outdoor corner in nature.
- Most meditation schools advise against doing this introspection in a place you associate with sleep, such as on the bed, as it could lead you to accidentally doze off.
Step 2. Clear your mind of distracting thoughts
Remove any stress or worries you are taking on. Realize that whatever distracts you from full concentration on your introspection is but a thought; a thought that, like any other, can be ignored in favor of other more relevant ones. There are no worries that you haven't created yourself, so there are no worries that you won't be able to win.
This doesn't necessarily mean you have to pretend that all your problems don't exist. It means you have to get to know them and deal with your emotions about them in order to be able to think of something else
Step 3. Practice meditation
Find a comfortable position, stay still and close your eyes. Slow down your breathing as you take deep, fulfilling breaths. Keep your back straight and erect to avoid falling asleep; apart from that, the exact location is not important. Allow your thoughts to escape from normal and fruitless cycles of stress and worry. If stressful thoughts come to your mind, acknowledge them, and realize that they are extensions of your deeper self that you are able to control, so set them aside.
Meditation is a topic that has inspired many and many written works. To learn more about meditative techniques and themes, read the relevant wikiHow articles or perform a targeted search on the web
Step 4. Focus your attention inwards
Allow your thoughts to retrace their steps. Separate yourself from your emotions. Realize that your sensations, feelings and emotions related to your experiences are all creations of your inner self. Everything that exists inside and outside of yourself is an extension of your mind; what surrounds you, for example, are but images created and interpreted by your inner self. Therefore, by exploring the layers of your mind, you can achieve a greater understanding of the world in general.
You are not trying to analyze or criticize yourself; any feelings of emotional pain or discomfort may indicate that you have not yet separated from your emotions
Step 5. If necessary, try to push yourself out of your comfort zone
If you can't practice meditation, broaden your horizons. Some people report being able to reach transcendental states of consciousness by performing activities that they normally feel an aversion to. This benefit can be long-lasting; in the most extreme cases, semi-permanent personality changes can facilitate long-term introspective work. As long as it's a safe activity, you may want to try one instead of meditation. Let's see some examples:
- Perform strenuous exercise
- Embark on a journey into nature
- Speaking or performing in public
- Talk to someone about a hitherto secret memory or emotion
- Write about your inner emotions in a journal
- Go skydiving or bungee jumping
Identify Your Mental Layers
The instructions in this section are intended as general guidelines for introspection. Understand that no two minds are alike and that not all steps may be effective for you.
Step 1. Focus on the self you project outward
The first superficial state of mind is the one you use to introduce yourself to others (and especially to those you don't know well.) Often this layer is used to build a complex facade that hides your true thoughts and feelings behind correct "behavior." " it's acceptable". Allow yourself to explore who you are in the presence of others. To begin to take control of your mental layers, before researching their origins, you must recognize the characteristics of these superficial levels.
- You can decide to start with these basic thoughts:
- "My name is…"
- "I live in…"
- "I work in…"
- "I like this, I don't like that …"
- "I do this, I don't do that …"
- "I like these people, but not these others …"
- …and so on.
- The memories, experiences and personal values identified in this and other points in the section can prove invaluable. During these exercises, you may want to write down any major understandings you have achieved, especially after you have ventured into the depths of your consciousness. If you don't want to get distracted by writing, you can use a handy voice recorder.
Step 2. Review your routines and rituals
Thinking introspectively about the actions you take on a regular basis can give you an unexpected insight into yourself. Allow your thoughts to retrace those events that you regularly carry out in everyday life. You think, How do these things make me feel? Why do I do them? Your goal is to start noticing how much perception of you is really involved in these repetitive behaviors.
- Here are some examples of reflections. Note that these are highly ordinary gestures. If you are like most people, a large part of your mind may be devoted to actions that are essentially not very important.
- "When I wake up?"
- "Where do I shop?"
- "What do I usually eat during the day?"
- "What interests do I pursue at specific times during the day?"
- "What kind of people do I prefer to spend my time with?"
Step 3. Reflect on the past and the future
How did you get to where you are today? Where are you going? Answering these questions truthfully can be enlightening. Experiences, people, goals, dreams and fears, as a rule, are not things that affect us only momentarily; extending in fact from the present to the past and the future, and outlining who we are over time. Therefore, understanding the "I was" and the "I will be" can help you gain a better understanding of who "you are."
- Here are some questions to focus on:
- "What work have I done in the past? What work do I want to do?"
- "Who have I loved? Who will I love in the future?"
- "What have I done with my time in the past? How do I want to spend what I have left?"
- "What relationship did I have with myself? What relationship do I want to have with myself in the future?"
Step 4. Search for your true hopes and aspirations
Now that you have broken down the most important aspects of yourself discussed so far, you have a chance to reflect on your true inner self. Start by identifying those parts of yourself that you don't show to others. These could be opinions that you find embarrassing, things done that you don't want to let people know, feelings you don't know how to express, and much more; anything that is not part of the personality that you present to others in daily life.
- For example, you may want to ponder these types of questions:
- "How do I really feel about those things that take up most of my day?"
- "How much confidence do I really have in my plans for the future?"
- "What memories or feelings take up most of my time without anyone knowing?"
- "Are there things I secretly want but don't have?"
- "I wish I could feel a certain way?"
- "Do I have secret feelings towards the people around me?"
Step 5. Evaluate your perception of the world
The way you really see it, your worldview is one of the deepest layers of yourself. In some ways, your worldview is the single most important part of your personality, as it affects how you interact with almost everything: from people, to animals, to nature, and of course yourself..
- To determine what worldview you have, use general questions about humanity and the world in general, for example:
- "Do I think people are mostly good or bad?"
- "Do I believe that people are able to overcome their shortcomings?"
- "Do I believe in the existence of a higher power?"
- "Do I think life has a purpose?"
- "Do I have any hopes for the future?"
Step 6. Evaluate your perception of yourself
At this point, allow your thoughts to turn inward in order to find out what you really think about yourself. This layer of the mind is one of the deepest; we rarely spend time thinking about how we feel about ourselves, but such deep thoughts, more than anything else, can affect our cognitive patterns and the quality of our lives.
- Don't be afraid to unearth truths that might deeply affect you; as a rule, seeking such mental depths is a highly enlightening, albeit emotionally insidious, experience. You will emerge from your introspection with a greater understanding of yourself.
- Here are some simple things you may decide to consider. As you answer these questions, keep in mind the answers given earlier.
- "Am I too critical of myself? Do I praise myself excessively?"
- "Do I happen to see parts of me that I like or dislike in other people?"
- "Do I want to own things I see in others?"
- "Do I want to be the person I am?"
Part 2 of 2: Improving Your Perception of You
Step 1. Identify the causes of your image of yourself
Recognizing the sharp edges of your image of yourself shouldn't be the final step in your introspective journey. With careful meditation, it is possible to improve. First of all, try to determine the reason for that self-image of yours. There may or may not be a single primary cause. In spite of hard efforts, however, you may not be able to fully explain it. Do not worry. In this case, simply try to recognize the presence of a reason capable of explaining those feelings of yours. Once you understand that your image of yourself has a cause (albeit difficult to define), you can try to improve it.
Step 2. Prioritize the things that are important in your life
If you are like most people today, an imperfect self-image may be due to placing too much emphasis on what actually brings you no value or benefit. Ideally, detaching yourself from it will allow you to live a happier life and have a better image of yourself; by not being in constant pursuit of such things, you will eliminate many of your daily anxieties and will be able to focus more on the things that matter most: yourself and the people who are close to you.
- Things that are given a lot of importance today while having only minimal effect on happiness include money, material possessions, social status, and so on.
- On the other hand, things that are often sacrificed in favor of relatively unimportant distractions include time for oneself, for reflection, for personal projects, for friends, and for family. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that strong family ties can guarantee a higher level of happiness than a high income.
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With this in mind, a list that prioritizes the main things in a person's life should look like this:
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- Sons
- Spouse
- Family members
- Job
- Friends
- Hobby
- Wealth
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Step 3. Determine how far you intend to go in finding the most important things
Unfortunately, people sometimes overlook what's high on their personal lists (for example, a strong sense of ethics) to protect things that have a lower priority (like being able to own a nice car). Your goal is to figure out how far you want to go to get the things that top your list, knowing, of course, that this may mean sacrificing those lower.
A relative good example comes from literature: in Shakespeare's Othello, the character of Othello kills Desdemona, the woman he loves, because his friend Iago leads him to believe that she has betrayed him. In this case, Othello, unfortunately, is led to permanently renounce what could represent the most important thing in his life: the person he loves; because he was determined to give higher priority to his personal honor and reputation. Placing such importance on something that is not really able to make him happy will not be the right choice for Othello, who at the end of the work will decide to kill himself
Step 4. Find freedom in what you can and cannot change
Once you have determined exactly how you intend to act to achieve what you have placed at the top of your list, you should have a clear understanding of what you can and cannot reasonably achieve. Therefore, ideally, you should no longer have any reason to maintain a negative self-image: you now have a plan to achieve the most important things in your life, consequently all you have to do is put it into action! A negative self-image won't help you in any way, so you don't need it.
Step 5. Plan to detach yourself from unimportant things
Realistically, it is often difficult to give up large portions of one's life quickly. In these cases, the important thing is to understand that you are devoting your energy to the wrong things and plan to correct your behavior. Make a concrete plan to weed out all the irrelevant aspects of your life so that you can fully focus on the most important things.
For example, if you find that you spend more time worrying about your job than you do with your family (when in fact family is the most important thing to you), although it may not be possible to change jobs immediately because your family matters. on your income, you can still start researching without jeopardizing your financial commitments
Advice
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There are a number of philosophies that include concepts similar to those described above. For a deeper understanding of the self, you can search for some of the following:
- Ananda Marga: social organization, lifestyle and philosophy founded in India in 1955.
- Freudian Psychology: The beliefs of the forerunner of psychology Sigmund Freud included the subdivision of the mind into three regions or layers called id, ego and superego.
- Furthermore, many modern metaphysical movements (such as the "Slaves of Conditioning" philosophy) include the idea of a multilayered mind.
- For a broader background understanding, it might be just as rewarding to study those mental philosophies that question the theories of a layered mind. For example, the famous Christian philosopher Thomas Aquinas did not believe in a layered mind, but in multiple interconnected notions of mind, body and soul at the center of human cognition.
