Do you like you?

It is strangely uncomfortable to think whether you like yourself. Strangely difficult. If you think about it, you do not really know if you like yourself or not.

How could you? You live in a never-ending stream of distractions. An infinity of content online, games, foodstuffs, online messages, notifications, tasks, an infinity of infinities beckons every second of every day.

You are too busy to spend time with yourself. From task to distraction to worry to stimulation. Spending time with yourself is boring. Who wants that? It’s human nature to run from boredom. The greatest companies of the decade, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, have conquered the world by banishing boredom from everyday life.

No boredom is a big problem. You don’t spend time with yourself. You don’t know yourself. You react to outside factors, instead of being proactive with how you want to live your life. Because you don’t talk it over with yourself.

We all know that any healthy relationship is built upon knowing the other person and caring about their needs. Your relationship with yourself is no different. If you ignore yourself, then you are reduced to impulses from the unconscious part of your mind, the savage monkey. But without time to understand yourself, these are unclear impulses and needs. You make bad decisions for yourself. You move from distraction to distraction, from task to task.

In rare moments of pause between activities, you feel an unpleasant sense of emptiness. It’s unpleasant so you rush to the next distraction. But to live the life you choose, instead of being a passive passage in your life, you need to face the boredom. You need to know yourself and reconcile your different needs and impulses.

Practical techniques:

- Long walks alone

- Look at yourself in the mirror

- Journaling

- Meditation