Today’s post was written by fellow introvert blogger Aletheia Luna, co-creator of the popular website lonerwolf.com.
As introverts we’re used to living life from the inside out. But as with anything in life, what we choose to occupy our inner worlds with can prove to be either a blessing or a curse.
Nurturing our inner selves is much like nurturing our bodies. Feed your body high sugar, high carb, high saturated fat food, and chances are you’re going to reap the consequences later. The same rule applies to your inner self. Feed yourself bitterness, self-pity and fear, and later you will reap the consequences both psychologically, emotionally and inter-personally.
So now, consider this question. What do you occupy your inner world with? If you’re like most people, your inner self is filled with fear, worry, apprehension and conflict about past, present and future events. You probably also tend to focus on the external world (even you, being an introvert).
Your days are filled with concern for the paper due tomorrow, frustration for those “obnoxious extroverts” that make you feel uncomfortable at work, anxiety over your overdue power bill, distaste for the way so-and-so treated you, concern for your friend’s mental health, etc. etc. etc.
It’s no wonder that many of us are medicated, bitter and disillusioned about the world; our lives have no centre, no direction, no meaningful destination.
While our everyday lives play out, our inner lives are abandoned, forgotten, forsaken.
This is where the practice of Involution comes into play.
Introspection and Involution
Most of you would not have heard of Involution before, only its big brother Evolution.
Involution is the introvert to Evolution’s extrovert, and refers to the process of slow inner change occurring within our minds, hearts and souls. This is the exact opposite of Evolution; the external process of change within a species.
The purpose of Involution is very simple: to strengthen, deepen and liberate us from our many destructive, misleading, oppressive and repressive thoughts, emotions, and beliefs through the process of internal growth and development.
If you’re an introvert, you will find that your penchant for introspection helps to guide you immensely along this journey. This is because without introspection, or the inner examination of our mental and emotional processes, we would never be aware of what exactly we think and feel and why.
3 Ways To Improve Your Life
Involution consists of a number of stages that assist us in transforming the way we think, feel and interact with ourselves, other people and the world around us.
Below you will find 3 unique ways to enhance the quality of your life. Focusing on this process will both enrich your life and the lives of those around you.
1. Self-Awareness
In order to be able to grow at all, we first must become self-aware. A lack of self-awareness is defined by animalistic behavior (e.g. behaving without thinking, emotionally-reacting etc.) and self-destructive behavior. If you are interested in becoming a self-aware person, consider:
- Paying attention to your thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
- Noticing how your words, emotions or behaviors influence those around you.
- Practising mindfulness meditation.
2. Self-Study
The purpose of self-study is to understand why we do what we do, and involves a lot of introspection, observation and analysis. If you’re interested in self-study, consider:
- Gaining better knowledge and insight into yourself through books, online tutorials, tests, workshops, documentaries, self-help groups, and so forth.
3. Self-Love
The self-loving person accepts both their strengths and weaknesses. If you’re interested in practicing self-love, consider:
- Nurturing yourself, your needs and desires.
- Ceasing to punish yourself for your imperfections.
- Developing self-forgiveness.
You may like to read more about the 7 stages of Involution.
Have any thoughts or opinions to share? I’d love to hear them below!
Author Bio
Aletheia Luna was born in Perth, Western Australia, the world’s most isolated city. In her spare time, she works as a blogger and researcher for lonerwolf.com, having authored over 90 unique articles ranging from psychology and sociology, to self-improvement and spirituality. She is also the author of Are You An Old Soul? You can read more about her here.
