Do you know yourself? Self-knowledge and getting to see how you’ve grown over time is a worthwhile venture.

When I was in my early 20s, I spent a tremendous amount of time learning about who I am, who I wanted to be, what caused me to fall apart, and also what made me happy.

In growing up in a dysfunctional family, I saw and experienced arguments, ineffective behavior, loss, and l suffered a lot because I didn’t understand what I needed to be happy and healthy.

I tried really hard to do my best, but I kept falling down and making mistakes. What I didn’t understand was this: What truly made me happy?

I learned that writing helped me as well as taking a walk, spending time with a friend and talking, meditating, exercising, gardening, cooking, laughing, eating right, and getting a good night of sleep.

The basics of what I needed to be healthy eluded me for the longest time because I kept chasing after things that made me unhappy. I spent a tremendous amount of time and energy in looking to fall in love with someone.

Instead of investing in myself and working to heal from my past, I threw myself into romantic relationships that made me feel happy for a while, but then came crashing down. The cycle would repeat, and eventually I admitted the pattern.

Such self-knowledge can be hard to admit to, but I found that heal came through an open and honest evaluation of not only who I am, but what I needed to be happy.

As you go about your day, what steps can you do to get to know yourself better?

Take the time for self-knowledge and then learn the skills you need to deal with the trauma of your childhood. There’s no shame in any of that. Embracing fully who we are and where we came from is the key to our healing.

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.