Tag Archives: self-awareness

Being A Nightowl

I have to confess… I am a nightowl! (Really dramatic, I know)

But what does that mean?
Basically, just like an owl has a much more clear sense of vision during the night, I have a much more clear sense of productivity during the night, or more specifically, after the sun sets.

So when the rest of the people are going to bed or even asleep, I’m wide awake doing work/studying. And when everyone else gets up from slumber, I’m only starting to doze off.

To some people, this might seem strange and even slightly concerning, but actually, it’s way more common than an average person might think.
Studies show that almost 30 to 40 percentage of the population find themselves the most productive after 11pm (or 2300hrs.) 


And no, by productive I do not mean endlessly scrolling through social media or binge watching movies/shows for the whole night. I actually mean concentrating and getting some serious work done.

But

How does a person become a nightowl?

Well, firstly it isn’t exactly a lifestyle choice one can develop in a week or two.
According to some studies, our chronotype (which is largely influenced by genetics) determines what type of person – a nightowl or an early bird- one will be.

People with night time chronotype (or wolf chronotype) show more of nightowl tendencies (or ‘nocturnal’ tendencies)

So, it isn’t a choice for most people, sure, long exposure to this type of behavior and environment may change some people’s lifestyle. Or sometimes our chronotype might change as we grow older, but we can’t really change them ourselves.

For people who are genetically given these behaviours don’t really have a choice. They reach their maximum level of energy and productivity only after dark. They also find it difficult to focus and be active early in the morning.
According to studies, night owls show the most energy and activity (which is controlled by the cerebum) 4-10 hours after they wake up.

So if you find yourself constantly in a drowsy state during the day and super energetic and active during the night – then you might be a nightowl. (Welcome to the gang!)

Now, incase you are a nightowl (or just found out you’re one) and not very happy with the idea of being a nightowl, here are some

Pros to being a nightowl


• When you’re a nightowl and productive at night, you can actually get a lot of work done without even half of the distractions you might have during the day. (Nobody walking around you and disrupting your flow!)

• According to studies by numerous institutions, nightowls have shown to score more on IQ tests compared to early risers. Which basically means we’re smarter!

• People who are night owls tend to use lateral thinking more than early birds, to put it simply, we’re better at solving problems by using an indirect/creative approach and view such problems with a new light (Basically, we’re more creative).

Now that we have talked pros I guess it is only fair to talk about the cons as well.

Cons to being a nightowl

• Studies from many universities showed that people with morning chronotype were more physically active than compared to those with night chronotype and suggests that people who do stay up late and wake up late should try to keep themselves physically active.

• Even though night owls have an advantage when it comes to lateral thinking and intelligence, we’re also more likely to perform poorly in academics/work. This is because we have to function during our least functional hours i.e. typically an 8-4 or 9-5.

• Since nightowls are more creative, active and approachable during the night, they’re less so during the day, which is when a major part of society and our communities are up and about.
Trying to keep up with these people around us often leads to insufficient sleep, not to mention poor lifestyle habits and a general inability to adjust to ‘regular’ schedules. This can lead to a number of physical and mental health issues such as diabetes, obesity and even depression.

Now that we’ve covered that, how can you make your life a little easier as a nightowl?
So here are some tips, from one owl to another.

Top tips for nightowls

1) Accept yourself and set your routine such that it accomodates time for sleep. Atleast 5-6 hours. It might seem difficult, but with a little bit of planning you’ll be able to work all night and still get 7-8 hours of sleep.


2) Try to sneak in little naps between the day or even during your work sessions. Also, try to set a limit for yourself, tell yourself “I will not work past _”


3) While working at night , have a glass of water and some healthy snacks (like nuts and berries) next to you, it will stop you from eating junk and will kill the cravings.


4) Try to take atleast 5-10 minute breaks in between work to get up, stretch, fix your posture and just take a little walk around your walk area.


5) 20 minutes before your bed time/the time you set for yourself, stop all work. Read a relaxing book or listen to calming music, turn off all bright lights and all devices. Set the mood to calm yourself before going to sleep, that way you can ensure a peaceful few hours of sleep for yourself without waking up in the middle and having disturbed/rocky sleep.


6) If you generally have a 9-5 ‘routine’ and also work during the night, give yourself weekends or atleast one day of the week to get full rest and excercise. Also meet up with your friends and family to ensure your own physical and mental health.
Even during the day/night when you’re working,make it a point to take care of your health – physical and mental.


Having read all of this, know that it doesn’t matter if you’re a nightowl or an early bird or even if you have no idea of your strong and weak timespans , all that matters is you fit your work into your work whenever you’re the most productive and the most motivated to make changes.

FACING OUR FEARS

With the new year many of us are making new year resolutions- eating healthy, working out, developing new hobbies, practicing self-love are some of the many that I’ve heard from people around me.
But here’s one that I’ve not heard from anyone that I think everyone should persue (or atleast try to) and that is – facing our fears and growing from them.

A question that came to my mind was,

Why face our fears?


Isn’t it much more easier to just let things be as they are?

Well, yes. It would be, but think about it, the last few years (2020 & 2021) have been pretty tough, how much worse can it get?
Might as well take the risks and see how it goes. Because life is all about taking risks and overcoming fear. If you don’t take that leap today, you’ll never know what you’re capable of.

If we embrace our fears and work on them, we can break the biggest ceiling – our own mind. Once we do that, everything will be limitless! When we work on the things that we fear, or even simply acknowledge it and put some thought into it – we take away its power to control us.

If you don’t work on that one thing that is constantly at the back of your head, that one thing that makes you stay up at night and worries you throughout the day, it will consume your mind entirely and will not let you reach the success that you’re aiming for.

We all need to face our fears and challenge ourselves to acknowledge these fears in order to rid our mind of the emotional baggage that these fears bring into our lives.

But let’s be honest , it’s all easier said than done.
So the biggest question,

How do we face said fears and grow?


1) The first thing to do is to realise that being afraid of things is common human nature. We’re all humans and we’re all afraid of something. It’s not about not being afraid, it’s about how you handle those fears and how you grow from them. Know that fear is mostly an uneasiness our mind feels over things that we don’t know about, or we’re unsure about.

2) The second – and maybe the most important thing, is to know what you’re afraid of and to what extent. It may sound strange but many people (including myself) aren’t exactly sure of what they’re afraid of.
Take some time off and sit down and think about the things that bother you/worry you.
When you know exactly what to work on you can actually focus in that direction instead of feeling stuck . When you know exactly what to work on things become more manageable and less scary.

3) Try to identify exactly what triggers fear and worry into your head. Sit down with yourself and just think about those things and the emotions they bring up inside you without actually feeling those emotions or letting those emotions control your mind.
It might seem difficult at first, but slowly ease yourself into the process, eventually, you’ll be able to process those thoughts and emotions without really feeling much of them.

4) Like I said before, fear is (to some extent) an uneasiness in our mind about things that we don’t know about, or things that are ‘the unknown’. So gather as much information as you can, the more you know about it, the less scary it will be, and you might even find it interesting!
Also, telling someone about your fears can be a great way to elevate some of the stress and can help you think more clearly. Writing those fears down can also be a great way to acknowledge them, it will help your mind to come up with solutions much more easily.

5) Use your imagination to think of the worst case scenario that could happen if you go forward with chasing these fears – and maybe even conquering them.
Then, make a plan of what you could do if such a thing was to happen.
Once you acknowledge the worst case scenario and find out ways to come out of it, it becomes way more easier to deal with them. It will help you take your mind off the problem and you can actually put in your energy to working towards the goal.


With all this said, you need to know a few more things before going into this journey.

When you start off, there will be times when you would feel overwhelmed, you might feel like you’re not getting anywhere and all of this is just a waste of time. At times like this, reflect back to what things were like before and how far you’ve come.

Know that all the hard work and unhappiness you’re feeling now is for something far more greater.
Whenever you’re feeling emotionally burnt out and frustrated, take a break, listen to soothing music and process what’s happening around you, only then will you be able to move forward.

At the end, always remember that there is no greater feeling than overcoming fears and barriers, the feeling of coming out of it as a better person on the other side is simply irreplaceable.

PUSHING PAST THE NEGATIVE

Our brain has a tendency to view the world from a negative light. Once we start thinking about something as a negative, it tends to stick to us and makes it difficult to change our opinion about it. When we start viewing the world from a ‘glass half empty’ perspective, everything seems negative, sad and depressing. On the other hand, viewing the world as ‘glass half full’ shows a better, more happier perspective.

What that means is, having a better, positive mindset can change the way you view the world. Remember that your world is what you make it. Know that you can change your world. However, if you want to change it, you need to believe it.

Believe that you are in control of what goes on in your mind. You control how much space of your mind gets occupied by the negatives and how much space of your mind gets occupied by the positives. When you allow negative feelings and thoughts to consume your mind, you give them space, space that should be filled by the positive thoughts, feelings and emotions.

When we hold on to the negatives in our life, all the hurtful, sad, bad and cruel things in our life, we poison ourselves. It is a poison that slowly kills our creativity, passion and ultimately even love.

When you keep in negative thoughts and emotions you are wasting valuable emotional energy that you need to overcome the hurdels and reach your goals and dreams. You cannot become what you dream of becoming if you just sit around and waste your energy on thoughts that don’t matter and don’t bring any goodness to your life.

If you empty out the negative in your mind and heart you will create room for positive, you will make your mind stronger and make a better life for yourself. You will keep yourself happy and healthy.

We all have negative thoughts, emotions and feelings. But we also have the ability to make a choice, we can choose which emotions – positive or negative – do we want to fill our minds with.


In the words of Joel Osteen
‘ The scripture says “Give no place to the enemy”. It’s not just talking about forces of darkness. That means give no place to guilt, give no place to worry, give no place to bitterness. It can’t come in and automatically take over.’

You see, worry, stress, jealousy, resentment, anger, envy, regret, etc. These are all feelings that we all have. These are a part of life and everyone goes through one or more of these emotions atleast once in their lifetime. The key is not to hold onto these emotions. The best way to overcome negative emotions is not to stick to it neither is it about completely ignoring the feelings. To overcome negative emotions you need to go through the emotions. Let yourself feel bad and then move on, for yourself.

Recognize the emotions that are not beneficial, the emotions that are a burden and don’t let you move forward. Recognize these emotions and move through them. Move on and free yourself from the burden of the negative.

We have heard since a very long time that talking about the bad things in our life will make us feel better. We’ve constantly been told that venting about things would help us take the weight off our shoulders. So, we talk about the negatives, we vent and complain about all the things that are going wrong. What we don’t realise is that that just makes us stick to those negative thoughts for even longer.
Yet, for some reason, we never talk about the good things in our life, all the things that make us happy, all the privileges and blessings that we have in our life. Infact, research conducted at UC Davis has shown that doing things as small as writing for a few minutes a day about the things that you are grateful for can boost your happiness and emotional well being. So, it is important to know the positives in your life and regularly remind yourself about all these things.

Now, in case you are wondering how can we push past the negatives and be mentally strong?
I may have a few suggestions for you.

To be mentally strong you need to practice good mental health habits practicing gratitude and meditation.
But at the same time, you need to give up the bad mental health habits like holding a grudge or resenting someone else’s success.
You need to understand that these bed mental habits will hold you back from reaching your full potential and it will harm your mental peace.

To read more about mental peace band mental strength, check out my blog here:

https://anublogsofficial.art.blog/2021/06/07/how-to-be-mentally-strong-and-protect-your-peace/



But before that
Tell me, what changes are you going to bring to your life to make it better for you?

GET TO KNOW YOURSELF (SELF-AWARENESS)

Let’s start with the most obvious question, what is self-awareness?  

Self-awareness is the ability to see ourselves the way others see us, to see how we fit into this crazy world. Self-awareness is about taking a long hard look at ourselves without judgement so we can start making changes that will have a positive impact.

Now, an important question which arises is, why should we be self-aware?

It has been proven by many researches that people who are self-aware are more content, creative and confident than people who are not self-aware. They communicate better, perform better at work and are more effective leaders. Self-awareness gives us a much better shot at finding happiness and success.

So, how can we be self-aware?

It all starts when you take time to get to know yourself. Not just your likes and dislikes or things like that, but also your thoughts. To know your thoughts you need to spend time with yourself, get off your phone and spend time with your thoughts.

Start by writing down your strengths, all the things that will help you get to your vision of success. Know your strengths and keep working on these. Remember,

“It is a person’s strengths that see their success, not the absence of weaknesses”

Next, write down all your weaknesses, all the things that are in the way of your success and happiness. Then start working on making these weaknesses into your strengths.

When you see these weaknesses, it might be upsetting. You need to know that self-awareness hurts, it’s difficult to know all our failures and short comings, that’s the reason why most of us avoid it or have the false idea of self-awareness.  

It is difficult and hurtful to know our weaknesses but it gives us an opportunity for true growth and development, real change happens when we have the courage to face our shadows.

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” – Carl Gustav Jung

The next step is, listen to your thoughts, it is very important to listen to what your subconscious mind is telling you. If you don’t know what you’re thinking then it’s impossible to change the way that you think. Know what are the things that put you off and what are the things that make you think positively about yourself. Start paying more attention to what you’re saying to yourself.

The last step is practice, keep practicing the art of self-awareness, know yourself and spend time with yourself.

Remember that the most important person your life is you, so get to know yourself 🙂