6 Signs You’re Growing (and You Don’t Even Know!)

It can be all too easy to see yourself as the same person today that you were yesterday, like you aren’t making any progress or growth. Maybe you feel like you’re walking in a rut, moving back and forth in the same old routine over and over. Do others mention lately that you sound, behave, or talk different around them?

Sometimes growth can be difficult to notice when we ignore our accomplishments. In ways both big and small, we tend to change as the years go by, and even if those ways have slipped by your eyes…

…Here are 6 signs you’re growing (and You Don’t Even Know!), Surprise!

1. You have a sense of responsibility (and responsible habits!)

You’ve just woken up early in the morning. Maybe it’s school, going to work, or working on a personal project, but you have an idea in mind of something you have to do when you roll out of bed, even if you don’t want to. Maybe you’re tempted to just flop over in bed and go back to sleep, or to scroll on your phone for hours and let the world pass you by. But deep inside, you know that you can’t let that happen, even if just five more minutes is all you need.

This is an important sign of growth! Even though it may not seem like a big hurdle to wake up and go to work, school, or even just to work on your own personal projects, a crucial part of self growth is achieving personal goals and developing competencies, even if it’s something that you take for granted because you do it everyday (Jakubiak B.K., Tomlinson J.M., 2020).

2. You reach out to others for help

When you feel as though you have nowhere else to go, do you ask others for help? Do you reach out to family for their opinions, or your friends to double check your work? Some may say that you’re relying too much on others or that you’re not doing any work yourself, but by asking the right questions or for help and support when needed, then using that chance to grow, learn more about yourself, and take oppportunities is a sign that you’re growing!

Psychology shows that when we have ways to lessen the chance of risk or embarassment by reaching out to others for support, we are more likely to take opportunities to improve ourselves and our welbeings. So don’t be afraid to keep reaching out to those you love and adore for inspiration! (Jakubiak B.K., Tomlinson J.M., 2020).

3. You take time for self care and reflection

Have you found yourself taking some more time alone? Maybe you find the world overwhelming, or you crave a break from your everyday tasks or work. Do you take an hour or two of time out from your everyday tasks to do something that calms you down? Or maybe you give yourself a vacation day to take care of your health, or think about how far you’ve come. Funny enough, you may not even notice that reflecting on your actions and taking ocassional breaks and time away that you need to be your best is part of growing, and a representation of your emotional intelligence.

Taking the time you need to help reduce stress and focus on your priorities has been shown to reduce stress physically, psychologically, and help improve performance (Wright State University). There are so many people in the world who neglect both self care and self reflection, and punish themselves for poor performance. Learning to lift away from those thoughts and take care of your own person is an amazing sign of growth. Think about it!

4. You stop blame-shifting and find solutions

Do you tend to think of the term, “There’s nobody to blame but yourself”? Maybe you’ve started to put a lot of pressure on your own shoulders because you feel as though everything is your own fault. While this extreme can be dangerous to your mental health, accepting when you have fault in a situation from time to time is another sign of personal growth.

When you are blamed for doing something wrong, whether it be by yourself or others, we try to defend our sense of ego or pride to avoid feeling bad about ourselves or our mistakes. That can be the “sting” that you feel when you get blamed for something, shamed, or scorned, even if it’s the small voice inside your head doing all the talking (Brooks, 2021). Accepting when you are at fault and make mistakes also opens up opportunties for growth, and learning from your mistakes, which can help you make better decisions and enhance your quality of life!

5. You let go of toxic people

Are other people in your life just not reaching out to you so much anymore? Maybe you feel like you have a big magnet on your head that’s just pushing everybody away, and they just don’t seem interested you. When you think about it, are all of them truly, genuine people? Toxic people have very different definitions from person to person, but can generally be noticed by their impact on your mental health. Ever start talking to a friend or family member, and regret it soon after? Do they put you down, or otherwise create chaos inside of your mind? Sometimes, we push these people away without knowing it.

When we start to focus on our own growth, coping mechanisms, or personal strengths, it can scare these toxic people away (Health, 2019). Once you start putting effort and love into yourself, you become that much harder for toxic people to drag you down. You may be putting up a beacon of self development or awareness that drives these toxic people away!

6. You’re reading this article right now!

Seriously! We have the proof! Visiting Psych2Go’s websites along with accessing our content and looking for ways to engage and interact with credible studies and research, you are building both your social and emotional awareness, as well as your emotional intelligence! Practicing these skills and learning how to identify how you feel about your emotions gives you better control over your actions. This has been shown to help with stress management, relationships with others, foster creativity, and be closer with the ones you love! (Smith et al., 2021).

Concluding Remarks

Once we get caught up in the everyday tasks of life, it can feel nearly impossible to reward ourselves for the good things that we do for ourselves, or to recognize that, as people, we are always growing and changing in ways we don’t always recognize. If you can relate with any of these signs mentioned, then thank yourself for reading all the way through with us at Psych2Go. We appreciate all the love and support that you as a viewer give to our website, as well to our homegrown videos that we make, just for you.

Now we can’t say that you don’t notice that you’re growing! Please, feel free to leave a comment and reaction to this article if this was helpful to you. What are ways you never realized you were growing? Did this article help you realize something about yourself? Let myself and our team know in the comments! Or, check out our YouTube channel for signs that you’re becoming a better person linked below! Thank you dearly to each and every one of you Psych2Goers!

Further viewing:

References

Brooks, M. (2021, January 17). Why is it so hard to admit when we are wrong? Why Is It So Hard to Admit When We Are Wrong? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/tech-happy-life/202101/why-is-it-so-hard-admit-when-we-are-wrong.

Health, E.-E. (2019, November 21). How to deal with a toxic person in your life. How to deal with a toxic person in your life | Edward-Elmhurst Health. Retrieved from https://www.eehealth.org/blog/2019/11/toxic-people/.

Jakubiak B.K., Tomlinson J.M. (2020) The Role of Social Support in Promoting Self-Development. In: Mattingly B., McIntyre K., Lewandowski, Jr. G. (eds) Interpersonal Relationships and the Self-Concept. Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-43747-3_8#citeas

Self-care. Self-Care | Counseling and Wellness | Wright State University. (n.d.). from https://www.wright.edu/student-affairs/health-and-wellness/counseling-and-wellness/self-care.

Smith, M., Segal, J., Robinson, L., & Shubin, J. (2021, October 12). Improving emotional intelligence (EQ). HelpGuide.org. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/emotional-intelligence-eq.htm.