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While you may want to focus on learning how to have healthy relationships with other people, learning about yourself can actually help you achieve this goal. It is important that you take the time to get to know who you are and what makes you tick, your likes and dislikes, and simply how you experience the world so that you can relate to others in a healthy way. For instance, being aware of things that set you off can keep you from overreacting. Perhaps you felt that your father didn't listen to you when you tried to talk to him, and now you know that you tend to lose your cool when you someone doesn't answer your question right away. If you are aware of this tendency, you can stop yourself before you snap at the person, reminding yourself, "I'm getting upset because this reminds me of Dad. Susan may be formulating a response, or she simply may not have heard me. There is no need to overreact." Then you avoid blowing up at Susan and possibly damaging your relationship with her. Journaling is a way to let our inner self emerge. It allows us to facilitate dialogue between our ideal self-image and our present self. It can also act as a quiet, centering activity where we confess to page those things we are not ready to speak about. Below are some prompts that can help trigger introspection:  Who am I? What do I love? What would you tell your older self? The purpose of writing a timeline is to take stock of your goals and your progress toward them. This can be helpful, both as a tool of validation for how far you've come, and a motivator to keep you striving toward the next milestone. Some things to remember as you are constructing your timeline:  Decide where it will begin and end. It doesn't have to start with birth. Make a preliminary list of events that need to be included. This should be based on what you perceive as meaningful and valuable. Include a title. Come up with something more detailed than, “My life.” The title should both guide how the timeline is read and reflect the values inherent in it's creation. The term “self-actualization” originates with humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow. It describes the process by which we fulfill lower-level needs so that we are then able to fulfill more conceptual needs.. This ideology places strong emphasis on all levels of self-care and embracing ones needs. Those needs are:  Physiological security: food, shelter, warmth, air Safety: Protection from harm or threat Belonging: Inclusion in a group, love, the freedom to take what is needed and give unselfishly. Self-Esteem: Positive self-image “Being”: the ability to explore abstract creative impulses and fulfill personal meaning.
Understand how self-exploration helps your relationships with others. Keep a journal. Compose a timeline. Self-Actualize.