All people experience inner conflict throughout their lives. Not all conflicts exist between yourself and the world around you – you will face struggles where you find yourself in some kind of internal battle. Understanding inner conflicts can be challenging. To make this process a bit easier, consider adopting these top ten tips to understand your inner conflicts better.
Think About The Decisions You Struggle Most To Make
A great way to better understand your inner conflicts is to think about the decisions you struggle most to make. When you work to make a decision, it may be due to some inner conflict you are experiencing. For example, if you struggle to decide the right thing to do in a situation, it may indicate a struggle with a specific inner conflict.
Make Sure You Have A Good Understanding Of Your Core Values And Beliefs
A person's unique core values and beliefs serve as the Crux on which every decision and action rests. Typically, people make decisions based on their core values and beliefs because they closely align with what they believe to be most fitting and appropriate for them.
If you understand your core values and beliefs well, you will also be able to understand your inner conflicts much better. When people experience inner conflict, it is because something they are struggling with is directly related to one of their core values or beliefs.
Make Sure You Understand Your Biggest Goals, Hopes, And Dreams In Life
Another common source of inner conflict in a person's life is making decisions that align directly with their most meaningful goals, hopes, and dreams. It isn't unusual to find yourself tempted by a decision that doesn't align with your hopes and dreams in life.
You may feel temporarily seduced by an option that will not benefit you in the long run toward your big hopes and dreams. Ensuring you understand your goals, hopes, and dreams can help you understand when experiencing an inner conflict because that conflict may directly contradict your long-term desires.
Understand Your True Identity
Knowing your true self is a great way to understand your inner conflicts better. When you fully understand all the different pieces and parts that make you the unique human being you are, it is easier to know when something creates a sense of inner conflict within yourself. Take time to understand all the different parts of your identity, including.
Your core values and beliefs
Your hopes, goals, and dreams
Your various roles in your relationships (examples: a parent, a supervisor, a best friend, a spouse, a neighbor, etc.)
Your interests and hobbies
Your spiritual beliefs
and many more!
Get To The Root Cause Of What Causes You To Feel Conflicted
Doing the complex, emotional work of getting to the root cause of your inner conflicts is an excellent way to understand them better. Many people do not know what causes them to experience inner conflict because they are afraid of experiencing big, difficult emotions and exploring these deep, dark parts of themselves.
You may discover some brutal truths about yourself whenever you are trying to learn more about your inner conflicts. However, doing this hard work to get to the root cause will help you understand your inner conflicts better so you can begin to solve them constructively.
Learn How To Identify The Main Sources Of Inner Conflict
To better understand your inner conflicts, practice identifying their primary sources. Sometimes, when you are feeling big and complex emotions, it can be challenging to find the precise cause of what is causing you to feel upset.
Practice working through your experiences, thoughts, and feelings to identify the primary sources of your inner conflict without getting distracted by the details.
Practice Taking An Analytical Look At Other People's Behaviors
It is important to remember that people's behaviors are a form of communication. When you see someone behave in a certain way, they try to communicate something to you and others.
Sometimes, those behaviors can cause you to experience a sense of inner conflict. Inner conflict is why taking analytical looks at other people's behaviors is essential instead of accepting them at face value. If you feel conflicted over someone else's behavior, take some time to analyze the situation carefully and understand exactly why what they are doing is causing you to feel that way.
Identify "Steps Forward" You Can Take To Remedy Inner Conflicts
Often, when people find themselves experiencing inner conflict, they feel stuck in a loop they cannot escape. Rather than finding an excellent solution to the inner conflict, they allow it to keep gnawing away at them and make them uncomfortable.
The next time you experience an inner conflict, practice identifying a step forward you can take that will help you remedy the problem. Once you have placed your best next step, actually take it.
Get Comfortable With Your Uncomfortable Emotions
A great way to understand your inner conflicts is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable means allowing yourself to process and feel all your emotions, even the most difficult ones, when going through an inner conflict. Working through big and challenging emotions is messy work, but doing so will give you insight into your inner conflicts and what is causing them.
Understand How Inner Conflict Translates Into Life For You
Although inner conflicts are problems that you hold within yourself, there are ways that inner conflict can "escape" your mind and affect your life. For example, many people experiencing an inner conflict may feel extra anxious and stressed.
This anxiety and stress can translate into real-life external conflict, such as struggling to focus, disrupted sleep patterns, and a lack of appetite. Knowing how your inner conflict translates into your life is a great way to understand them better.
Now, It’s Your Turn!
Which of these ten tips do you find most helpful in understanding your inner conflicts? Let me know in the comments!
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