Whenever the idea of self is present, just notice. We cannot remove it immediately, but we need to know that the ‘I’ idea is there.
When understanding arises, it is very clear that the idea of self is absent. You can know when the self idea is present and when it is absent.
In the beginning, the whole thing – experience and the awareness – is ‘me’. Slowly, the experience is not ‘me’; because it comes and goes and we are a little far away from the object.
But the mind is still ‘me’ – awareness is ‘me’, thinking is ‘me’ and all mental states are ‘me’.
And slowly, we can watch the mental states as objects. They come and go and we don’t have to control them.
When we can see the conditions for them to arise, the mind understands that mental states are nature.
As we practice, slowly, the mind understands in this way.