It All Started With One Word: Self

When I first set out to understand myself, I thought:
What even is the self?

So, naturally, I googled the definition.
Seemed like a small step—harmless, even.
But it turned out to be the beginning of a deep rabbit hole.

Let’s take a look at the dictionary definition:

Self (noun)
a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action.

Seems straightforward... until you start really looking at it.

What does “essential being” mean?
What does it mean to be “distinguished from others”?
And how do we define “introspection” or “reflexive action”?