With so much downtime these days, and more time being spent at home, why not reconnect with your number one . . . YOURSELF!!

Think about it — you are the one true constant in your life. Wherever you go, there you are.

So, why not use some of this available time to get to know the You you are, the You you’ve become, and decided if there’s another You you want to be.

Get to know yourself better.

When you know yourself, you know what you want and you know what makes you happy . . . what fulfills you . . . plus, you are more likely to feel more comfortable saying “No” to things (and people) that do not deserve you or you time . . . making you less likely to settle.

Here are five ways to get to know yourself better . . .

1.  Meditate – When you regularly meditate you’re better able to quiet your mind and increase your sense of balance, joy, and inner peace. It’s simply sitting down, closing your eyes, and intentionally relaxing. You can start with as little as 3-5 minutes twice a day and eventually work your way up to 20 minutes 

2. Uncover your core value – re-examine your values because what you’re living today may not reflect what you truly value. It could be a product of what you were taught or years of internalizing others’ expectations. 

3. Get rid of expectations – when you set expectations for yourself and decide that you won’t be happy until those expectations are reached, you block yourself from being your true self. Letting go of expectations helps you to know yourself and just be yourself in all sorts of situations 

4. Give up the conditional relationships – others’ expectations can overshadow our true selves. Often times we’re too busy living up to someone’s expectations of ourselves or how we should behave that it becomes hard to know what we really want. It’s oppressive to our true self 

5. Practice self-care – Doing what makes you feel good and what makes you the most relaxed will help you connect with your true self. Try taking a yoga class, read a book of your choosing, or if you want to go to bed early, then go to bed early. It’s easier getting to know your best self when you’re relaxed and well rested.  

Knowing yourself goes beyond knowing your likes and dislikes, it’s knowing what makes you tick, what excites you and feel like you’re living a deeply gratifying life. 

There is also nothing like a good playlist to help inspire you to get to know yourself more, and accept who you are . . .