The art of being yourself!

We have all heard the famous quote by Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken”. It sounds cool but most of us know that it’s easier said than done. There are many reasons behind that – the existing social expectations, our need for external validation, social media… Because of these things, we can even turn out to be alienated from our true selves without even realising it. So, how can you possibly know if you are not really yourself?

Probably the best way to find out if you are faking your self is to check if you are behaving differently when you are alone compared to when you are with people. When alone, try to notice how you act, what things you really enjoy doing, what you think about and how you think about things. Then, when you find yourself in a social setting, try to be as conscious of the behaviour that you exhibit as possible and compare it to the one when you are alone.

If you are wondering whether you are not being yourself in a particular situation, a great way to find out is to ask a close friend of yours to tell you if you are acting out of character. Often people around us see our personal situations clearer, so chances are that you will receive an objective opinion.

You might also feel like you faking yourself even when you are alone. In this case, get a piece of paper and a pen and try to write down why you feel that way and then mediate on the words written.

If when doing these things, you find out that you are faking yourself – don’t be too hard on yourself! Instead, try to figure out why is that. Also, ask yourself if this affects your happiness in any way, and if the answer is yes and you are completely honest with yourself, then you are one step closer to being your truest self!

Feature Image: @WikiCommons