What’s Stopping Us from Connecting with Ourselves? A Qualitative Examination of Barriers to Self-Connection

Recent research suggests self-connection relates to various aspects of well-being, yet it is not understood what factors stop us from connecting with ourselves. This qualitative study seeks to understand the barriers that prevent people from obtaining an awareness of the self, acceptance of that self, and acting in alignment with the self. Twenty-seven participants journaled about self-connection for fifteen minutes per day for five days. All but one participant brought up various barriers to the three components of self-connection. In general, the barriers participants reported reflected both internal (i.e., feeling lost, negative self-judgment, a lack of motivation, avoidance, and prioritizing others) and external factors (i.e., time, work, ability to meet basic needs, and powerlessness). This research highlights the importance of understanding what barriers exist to self-connection. More research is now needed to focus on developing interventions to help circumvent these barriers.