Developing self-awareness is an important part of life. Self-aware people tend to be more empathetic, better able to regulate their emotions, have better decision-making skills, and stronger relationships.
But what are some signs of a lack of self-awareness? And how can you identify low self-awareness in others? While being self-aware all the time is no easy task, there are things you can do to become more self-aware, like talking with a therapist or taking the time to pause and really listen. Here are the top signs of people who lack self-awareness.
Signs of People Who Lack Self-Awareness
Here are 12 signs of people who lack self-awareness.
1. When you hear something you don't like, you victimize yourself
We all get negative feedback from time to time—that's part of life. But someone who lacks self awareness might have a harder time digesting that feedback, and may react like a victim. Self-aware people are better at taking negative feedback constructively, even if it hurts at first.
2. You blame others
Taking responsibility for our actions is an important part of being an adult. But people who lack self-awareness tend to blame others when something goes wrong in their lives, a toxic trait that tend to push people away. So if you find yourself blaming others when you have an inkling that some of the responsibility is yours, you may want to take a closer look at your overall self-awareness.
3. You refuse to admit it when you're wrong
We all mess up sometimes, and none of us are complete and total experts on anything—even the things we know a lot about. Self-aware people tend to admit it when they're wrong, but people who lack self-awareness have a much harder time doing this and will sometimes completely refuse to admit they were wrong.
4. You're not great at paying attention
Having a hard time paying attention can lead to a lack of self-awareness, simply because you're not aware enough of the world around you. Luckily, this one's an easy(ish) fix—working on paying attention and practicing mindfulness can really help.
5. You don't listen well
People who aren't self-aware tend to talk all the time and don't listen well. If you're not listening to others, self-awareness won't come easily, because you won't have the time and space to reflect.
6. You focus on short-term happiness
If you're addicted to life's little gratifications, you may be too focused on short-term rather than longterm happiness, and that can be a sign of a lack of self-awareness. Work on thinking a bit more longterm—it may be exactly what you need to increase your self-awareness.
7. You only focus on the negative
When you consistently focus on the negative, it's difficult to have much self-awareness. There are so many thanks to be thankful for and positive about, but self-aware people tend to only focus on what's going wrong. Focusing on the positive, however, can make a world of difference in terms of your happiness and self-awareness.
8. You make decisions without putting much thought into them
While overthinking decisions can be problematic, not putting any thought into decisions isn't great, either. If you make decisions at the drop of a hat without thinking them through, you may need to work on your self-awareness.
9. You make excuses
Excuses, excuses! If you're constantly coming up with excuses for why you can't do certain things, from work tasks to participating in social activities, self-awareness may be a problem for you. The next time you have the urge, try not to give into the excuse—you may find that this really increases your self-awareness.
10. You do everything you can to prove you're right
Similar to point number five of not being able to admit it when you're wrong, people who aren't self-aware do everything they can prove they're right, even when their argument doesn't make logical sense. If you find yourself doing this, it may be worth it to examine your self-awareness.
11. You try to control everything
It would be great if everything was in our control, wouldn't it? But that's just not the case—and people who try to control every little thing, including the actions of others, are often not very self-aware.
12. You gossip all the time
A little bit of gossip here and there is normal, but if you find you're doing it all the time you may lack self-awareness. Gossip leads to negativity, and it can also hurt others.
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