self-awareness is not 'self'. instead, it is awareness of 'self', as the term describes
'awareness' is related to higher consciousness, like a mirror
where as the sense of 'self' is related to urges & emotions from instinct, like the image reflected in the mirror
(the mirror is not the image reflected in it)
Buddha explained how the idea of 'self' originates from the craving to exist
ants have the craving to exist but their minds are too primitive to conceptualize 'self', let alone having a faculty of consciousness that can objectively view the operation of its own instincts, including fear
because you are unable to distinguish these subtle aspects & distinctions of mind, you seem to have ant mind
