Why is it important to recognise our own green flags?

Naturally, recognising the good parts about ourselves is a healthy ego boost, but it can also be important for our wider emotional development.

“Self-awareness allows us to know ourselves, our triggers and therefore we can respond in a more informed way compared to someone who does not have that self-awareness,” explains Puja McClymont, a life coach.

“We can reflect on our behaviour better, so if we think we did something out of character or could have hurt someone’s feelings, we can say so without taking it personally.”

According to McClymont, some of the best green flags within ourselves include self-awareness, listening skills and compassion.

“Listening takes patience and time to master but can be highly effective in relationships of any kind,” she says. “When you listen, you allow the other person to speak freely without interruption.

“Compassion allows you to listen without judgment. It means that when you’re talking to someone, you don’t make judgments about them, their behaviour or what they’re talking about because you don’t have the full story. Compassion paired with listening is a strong skill and brilliant green flag to have.”

In a world where we’re constantly trying to optimise, improve and expand ourselves, perhaps we should be cutting ourselves some more slack after all.

Why it’s so important to pay attention to our own green flags and how to spot them