When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too. ----Paulo Coelho

‘Self improvement’, you’ve probably heard of this phrase as it keeps coming up in conversations these days. While some people are already engaged in it, some people struggle to keep up with it and some people simply aren’t interested in it. All of us desire to have a good life, be successful and remain healthy. Self improvement may mean different things for different people. Majorly because the goals of different persons are different, their life circumstances are different, different resources at hand and for various other reasons. It is also a dynamic aspect of our life, in the sense that it impacts various aspects of lives. From our work to family, from social relationships to intimate ones, from being community members to our own selves, the impact of it can last a lifetime.

Self Improvement doesn’t just take place with us deciding to start it. It takes time, effort, consistency and most importantly, proper guidance. A number of things come in the way like Time constraint, lack of guidance, lack of motivation, low self esteem, uncertainties etc. And then, we are taken by the guilt of not working enough on it. What we need to understand is that self improvement is built step by step daily and through action.

Signs that suggest that you need to work on towards ‘Self Improvement’:

One can observe their daily routines, moods and feelings to understand the signs. If you observe any or more than one instances in yourself, maybe it’s time you undergo self improvement:

• Lack of or imbalance in sleep.
• Loss of appetite/ overeating / imbalance in food habits
• Seeking ‘the purpose’ in life.
• Anger outbursts and frustration
• Lost track of time when doing fun activities, work, social indulgences
• Low self esteem
• Feeling vulnerable all the time
• Loss of direction in life

Benefits of Self Improvement

Now that you understand that you need self improvement, let’s understand why you should seek it. There are various benefits, which include:

• Self Awareness
• Regained sense of direction in life
• Motivation
• A chance to gain resilience
• Healthier social and intimate relationships
• Healthier habits (sleep, food, exercise etc)
• A better work-life balance
• Goal oriented behavior
• Better coping skills and less stress in life

Approaches to Self Improvement

The following are the most effective approaches people take for self development. One doesn’t necessarily have to follow up with all of these together. However, following through with a couple of them is at least suggested.

• Goal Oriented Behavior: When we are on the path of personal development, one of the many ways to achieve it to set realistic goals and achieve them.
• Self Awareness: Understanding oneself better and being aware about oneself helps us in our journey onto becoming a better person.
• Embracing Positivity: Positivity as an outlook for life can change us in many ways for the better. Positivity helps us in dealing and sailing through uncertainties and boosting resilience.
• Planning: Planning doesn’t refer to writing down your entire life in pages. What we mean about planning is that plan and write down daily goals that help you achieve the major goals in life. For example, a to do list for every day, a weekly target and a monthly goal can help you transform some aspect of your life in a month.
• Reinforcement: One can use reinforcements such as little rewards on achieving short term and long term goals. Reinforcing your behavior can keep you on the right track of personal development.
• Seeking peace and calmness in life: Many people lives seek like a cluttered room. Thus, they are always confused and often have negative feelings. One can seek out peace and calm through adopting a new way of life such as minimalism, or adopting new practices life yoga and meditation. Have a sense of calmness in life can boost positivity and help us in our path to self improvement.
• Seek guidance: As we mentioned earlier, lack of guidance can be a hurdle in self improvement. One of the best proven ways to seek guidance is through counselling for self improvement. Nowadays, online counselling has become popular among people exploring and seeking self improvement.

How can TalktoAngel help?

TalktoAngel is an online platform that provides quality therapy and other mental health services online. We have qualified and experienced professionals working with us. Online Counselling for self improvement is one of our areas of expertise. This means we have specialists with experience who have dealt with similar cases of self improvement.

Studies have proven that online mental health services are as effective as the conventional mode.  Moreover, Online Counselling provides for various advantages like access from home, easy on the schedule, remote availability, etc.  Furthermore, at TalktoAngel, we put your needs first. We can help you with flexible appointments, personalized and customized intervention plans all at the tip of your fingers.