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Finding Yourself: Can AI help your Independence Journey?

Finding Yourself: Can AI help your Independence Journey?

What is behind the trend of being independent and what role AI might play in finding yourself?

mindfulway team
December 13, 2023

Reading time 5 minutes

Thoughts on finding yourself
The link between independence and a mindful way of life
Quote of the week
The science of independence
How you can utilise AI for your journey now
We’ve tried AI in our podcast
What does the future hold?
Our other content
Join us

You all know someone stuck in a relationship or job, seemingly a prisoner of circumstances and not having the confidence to get out, or going from relationship to relationship so they don't have to face being alone?

Social media has given way to people advocating independence and finding happiness within. More and more people find or claim to have found contentment alone, or are they just hunting for clicks? If this is something on your mind, you’ve come to the right place.

Thoughts on finding yourself

I think finding contentment within is definitely possible. The more experiences I’ve gone through by myself, the more my emotional intelligence developed, and I was able to deal with external factors, stress, and my emotions. I was able to get away from negative influences in my life, live by my own values, be happy with my relationships and know how I best fit into this world if that makes sense.

Knowing myself through self-reflection has always been about being content and happy in my own company and not looking for external factors for happiness. Once you start to love yourself, you’ll feel better in your skin, and you know the cliche: “It shows on the outside”. I fully believe that. You achieve a balance and confidence many people seek in their lives.

There is an invaluable and personality-forming benefit to being independent. I was 22 when I moved to a different country, thousands of miles away from any safety net. Things I’d previously taken for granted, like a roof over my head or food or new relationships, became challenges I HAD TO deal with myself. I had to believe I could do it. I guess this is what’s often referred to as “taking the leap” or “stepping outside of your comfort zone”.

The journey is far from complete, though. The more life throws at me, the more I learn, and the more I can see myself critically, the more I can see the changes in myself.

The dangers of hyper-independence

This is something else we need to mention: a new fashionable term describing those achieving total self-reliance. It is easy to shut yourself off based on past experiences, but can we deny valuable human connections? There are challenges in life where you need a friend’s perspective or require a team or a family unit to solve. Humans have always been tribal in nature; we thrive when we help others and are surrounded by our friends and family.

Being an independent, capable, and emotionally healthy individual is essential not so we can live in isolation but so we can be the best version of ourselves for our relationships and the people we choose to accompany us in our lives.

What has been your experience? Have you had a similar experience, or are you on a journey to become more independent?

What is the link between a mindful way of life and independence?

You might be wondering what finding independence has to do with cultivating a mindful way of life. Here's what we think the key aspects may be:

Empower Your Choices: Independence allows you to make decisions based on your values, empowering your self-improvement journey.

Inner Peace & Contentment: Independence and healthy self-esteem encourage finding happiness within, reducing reliance on external validation or material possessions.

Authentic Expression: Being independent enables you to be your true self without fear of judgment, fostering a non-judgmental mindset.

Building Resilience: Independence and positive self-perception contribute to emotional strength, which is vital for addressing life's challenges with mindfulness.

As you can see, all of the above lead to finding joy within and being true to yourself. This journey of finding yourself paves the way for a mindful and authentic life, fostering positive self-awareness and inner peace.

Quote of the week

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

Christian D. Larson

What does the research say?

After researching the effects of independence, science seems to back up my theory.

This article highlights both positive and negative aspects of self-sufficiency. On one hand, developing independence and trust in oneself is beneficial. It allows individuals to enjoy their own company and establish their individual identity. On the other hand, an excessive focus on self-sufficiency can lead to isolation and difficulties in trusting others. Past traumas may also influence it and hinder the ability to ask for help.

Research has explored independence and self-sufficiency and found a positive association between independent self-construal and life satisfaction, mediated through self-esteem.

Early promotion of self-sufficiency is also associated with functioning in daily life and domains such as finances, mental health, and physical health.

Overall, scientific research highlights the importance of balance in independence and self-sufficiency. While developing self-reliance and autonomy can be beneficial, it is also crucial to recognise the value of interdependence and seek support when needed.

What can AI help with today?

Methods in how AI might help with building self-esteem and its personality-forming qualities are explained in the following studies. These are great reads if you are interested in digging deep into psychology.

OpenAI's ChatGPT: ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot you can use for self-reflection, coaching, defining goals, creating plans, expanding ideas, and broadening perspectives. It can provide prompts and engage in conversations that encourage introspection and personal growth..

AI Life Coaching: AI life coaching tools, such as Selfpause Affirmation App, can help with building self-confidence and improving self-esteem. These tools offer personalised feedback, support, and advice and can provide deeper insights into your own thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.

AI Predictive Tools: AI predictive tools, such as artificial neural networks, can be used to predict self-esteem levels and identify factors that contribute to resilience and stress. These tools can help users gain insights into their own mental health and well-being and identify areas for improvement.

Although AI tools are still in their infancy, they can already be valuable resources by providing personalised feedback, support, and advice. They can help us gain deeper insights into our own thoughts, emotions, and behaviours and, with that, facilitate personal growth and self-improvement.

We’ve tried AI in our podcast

In the second episode of our podcast, Michal and I asked Chat GPT to define what “finding yourself” means and suggest actionable insights, which we then analysed. You can find the prompt we used and the answer here.

It’s worth listening to (or watching) our in-depth conversation about what finding ourselves means to us and our personal experiences. You can find links to our content on our website mindfulway.ai.

Future possibilities

If we use AI in a clever way to help us improve self-esteem and discover the potential within, the possibilities are endless. It could encourage us to learn the opportunities we would not have otherwise taken and achieve success in areas that bring us fulfilment and happiness, almost like a life coach. And how about it being accessible to everyone, including those with limited access to support or education?