Are you *chill* self aware?

It’s midnight. I’m wired on too much coffee and I’m sitting in LAX waiting to board a plane for Tokyo. Travel can be exhausting. Even stressful.

(It’s probably not midnight as you read this, because I scheduled this newsletter to be sent while I’m flying somewhere over the Atlantic 😁)

So naturally, chillness is top of mind.

And when it comes to struggles with carefree living, there’s usually some specific stressors or bottlenecks getting in the way.

So, enter chill self awareness.

Because in order to solve a problem, you first need to know what it is.

What Is Chill Self Awareness?

Self awareness is known. For me, it’s knowing your quirks, talents, goals, values, preferences and true passions.

But what about chill self awareness? Here’s my take (borrowing from BetterUp’s definition of self awareness).

Chill self awareness is knowing how your actions, thoughts and emotions either align with or don’t align with your chill goals and avenues for living a more stress-free life.

When you have clarity for what makes you chill (and what makes you not so chill), you can optimize your life for more carefreeness.

General Self Awareness = More Carefreeness (here’s why)

While chill self awareness is important, self awareness in general helps too.

When you’re self aware, you’re more sure of your decisions and better able to embrace your authenticity and uniqueness.

When we lack the self awareness to own our true selves, this can lead to misalignment, stress and personality anxiety.

There’s a gap of who you truly should be and who you are being.

So if you haven’t already, remember to keep (or boost) self awareness in your self care rotation.

How to Become More Chill Self Aware

• Identify your chill stressors and bottlenecks

• Set clear and specific goals

• Be realistic and manage carefree expectations

• Audit your chillness regularly — things change, life evolves

• Separate short-term stressors from long-term ones (i.e., travel stress is temporary and less urgent — I’ll just get some better z’s and tastier food tomorrow — hah!)