If the human mind had a story of its own, that would be psychology. It’s fascinating to see how studying psychology unlocks a fresh viewpoint of oneself and others. Before starting this course, I had a slight idea of the intricacy of the human psyche. However, within this brief period of three months, I have not only gained a broader insight into the subject of Psychology but also of the multitude of layers in my inner world. One of my main goals for this course is to enhance my self-awareness. Over these three months, I have certainly acquired a better introspection. I gained an idea of how to handle emotional triggers and negative emotions, foster healthier attitudes, identify my defense mechanisms, practice empathy and thereby mould myself into my best version.
A lesson that stood out to me the most was the one that was done on congruency. It explained that in order to broaden self-worth, a person must align their ideal self with their self-image. Ever since I learnt about this “ideal self”, I wondered what my version of it would be. It was then I realized how little I knew about myself. I wrote down on a piece of paper how this persona would treat herself, others and how she would carry herself. At first, discovering her was difficult. I did not have any answers. After a few embarrassing conversations with myself, I finally realized that my perfect self would be independent, loving, patient, steadfast and hardworking. Even though I had identified the core values of my ideal version, I realized that achieving them is a long process. Nevertheless, the lessons of these three months acted as guidelines for me to start this journey.
One of the very first lessons on emotions and feelings helped me to identify my emotional triggers. This lesson validated my negative emotions and taught me that what is important is to tame these feelings properly instead of feeling ashamed of them. The activity we did on writing down the events and triggers associated with different emotions tremendously helped me to see through my sentiments. I identified how sometimes even a very futile thing would negatively provoke me. After gaining this awareness, I began to approach emotionally vulnerable moments more carefully. With this newly found clarity, I can act more rationally instead of impulsively.
The lecture on attitudes was also very eye-opening for me. The emotions I experience are directly affected by my attitudes. The healthier attitudes I have, the better emotions I experience. Nevertheless, this is easier said than done. Our attitudes being moulded by external forces do not necessarily align with what we desire. When we plotted a graph while doing this lesson, I saw that I needed improvements in autonomy and I was surprised to see this because I had never given much attention to my attitude. I was dumbfounded at first, wondering what exactly this means. But at the end of the lesson, I understood what I was lacking.