Awareness Wheel
The Awareness Wheel is designed to help people improve upon
self-awareness, that is being conscious of what they are sensing , thinking and
feeling at any give time. Self-awareness aids in one’s clarity when
communicating with others, being better able to choose action rather than
“blindly” reacting and having an improved understanding of how one is
impacting others.
The basic idea is knowing how one is thinking, feeling, what they are
sensing, and getting clear on what she or he wants in any given situation.
Generally, when all this is clear, than one can be much better at taking
appropriate action on getting wants met.
Sense: Along with the five senses, included here are senses in the body
such as a tightening of the shoulders when one is experiencing strong emotional
reactions. Examples might be the “pit in the stomach,” or tight
shoulders signaling a tension or stress of some kind.
Think: Thoughts emanate from the “head.” Thoughts are
inconstant flux, and what one thinks about anything at any given time can change
instantly with new information.
Feelings: These emanate from the “heart” and are associated
with emotion. These are more “steadfast” than thoughts. What we feel
about something isn’t nearly as easy or quick to change than what we thing about
something. Facts and data have little impact on feelings.
Oftentimes, people confuse thoughts and feelings, which can cloud
self-awareness and get in the way of clear communication. When someone says
something like “I feel that many children are not loved,” they
are not expressing a feeling at all, rather a thought. I think many children are
not loved. What might be the feeling? We don’t know. It could be sadness,
frustration, anger or? So, we are not clear and perhaps even the one making the
statement isn’t clear either. If she or he is clear, they are failing to
express, or communicate their feeling, leaving listeners to make assumptions,
which may or not be accurate.
Wants: We might be surprised at ourselves and others when we stop and
really think about how clear, even to ourselves, what we want in any given
situation. Knowing what we want depends on being clear on what we are sensing,
thinking and feeling.
Do (act): Many of us go around doing, or acting/reacting, and wondering
why we do what we do. Further, many of us find ourselves action/reacting in
unproductive or unhealthy ways, realizing this only after we’ve acted. Being
clear in what we want goes a long way toward doing or acting appropriately.