You go through life day by day, just trying to get by an)d achieve your goals. Sometimes it feels like you are never going anywhere. Have you ever considered trying self-reflection? Self-reflection is the act of looking back on your life's work, whether that be good or bad. It's a good way to see just how much you have accomplished or what you need to work on.
The Importance of Self-Reflection
Self-reflection is an important part of growing as a person.It is always important to both be in the present moment, as well as look to the future. However, if we take a brief moment, whether that be at the end of the day, month or year to reflect on our actions, we can take note and be better for the future. Many people just go blindly throughout life, not thinking about what they are doing.This is a recipe for bad habits and failure. These people may put out negativity and not realize it.
They wonder why all these bad things happen to them, and it may be in fact, because of their actions.
On the flip side, you may be doing something right and reap the rewards, but never realize what it was that you did, so you never repeat it ever again.
Practicing self reflection will allow you to get a good idea of your progress and actions in life and to essentially fine-tune how you do things.
The Benefits of Self Reflection
Aside from getting a good idea of what you achieved and how you act as a person, there are several self reflection benefits.
Better Relationships
Any time you are faced with a new relationship or even a conflict, self-reflection can help. You can spend some time looking inwards to asses your situation and make an educated decision based on how you feel about the relationship, and not necessarily in the heat of the moment. This can apply to a love interest, toxic relationships with friends or family members, or building a relationship with an acquaintance or family member.
Greater Sense of Self
Stronger Decision Making Skills
Adding on to knowing one's self better through self-reflection, you will find that your ability to make decisions will simplify, as well. When you have a strong sense of self, and truly know your values, you shouldn't hesitate when going to make a decision. The answer should be clear to you. This relieves a lot of questioning and stress for yourself.
15 Ways to Practice Self-Reflection
1. Identify the Important Questions
Think of some questions that you want to ask yourself routinely (daily, weekly, monthly) to use as an assessment for your self-reflection.
Some examples are:
What habits did I achieve this week?
What could I better improve on?
How did I feel overall today?
(Remember that if you have feelings of depression or anxiety, it’s always best to speak with someone. Online Therapy offers helpful tools and resources.)
2. Meditate
3. Journal
Writing in a journal like a diary is a great way to get your thoughts and feelings out.
It is also a great tool to look back on to see any patterns in your habits and thoughts.
4. Do A Writing Exercise
Does your mind feel jumbled with thoughts and decisions?
Simply set a timer for 5-10 minutes and write everything that comes to mind.
Notice any patterns? What thoughts are important and which are fleeting?
Writing exercises are great to get your thoughts out on paper (or computer) to organize them better.
5. Take a Walk In Nature
Being out in nature is shown to improve mood. Get some fresh air and clear your head.
6. Talk to Yourself Out Loud
Sometimes hearing yourself talk out loud can be a great way to have realizations.
Having a conversation with yourself allows you to get your thoughts out and self-reflect.
7. Perform Breathing Exercises
From simple to complex, breathing exercises allow you to steady your heart rate and calm down.
This brings your mind to a calmer place to think more clearly.
8. Read
You don't have to read self-improvement books alone.
Some of my best self-actualizations have come from reading fiction novels. You get a realization of what you enjoy and what you don't.
Reading is truly a form of meditation.
9. Analyze a Past Event
Pick an event that you have certain feelings about. Take a few moments to analyze that particular event.
Why do you feel the way you do about that event?
What did you do well in this particular event? What could you improve upon in the future?
10. Assess What You Are Grateful For
Taking the time at the end of the day to think about what you are grateful for can improve your mood and way of thinking.
Try to think of just three things that you are grateful for at the end of each day.
11. Try a Yoga Class
Being in a calm and relaxing environment like you are when you are in yoga has many benefits.
Some benefits include improved flexibility and better breathing.
In this time, you may find yourself meditating and sifting through your thoughts. The perfect time for some self-reflection.
12. Track Your Feelings
Grab a journal or an app and track your feelings each day.
Do you notice any trends in your moods?
Often seeing why you react to certain stigma brings a sense of peace a realization for why you do what you do.
13. Perform a Self-Check Up
You don't have to visit the doctor's office for this one!
Simply sit down with yourself and assess different areas of your life.
Career, Love-Life, Education, Hobbies, Family, Fitness, etc.
How happy are you with your efforts in each area? What can you start improving on?
(I personally love this Healthy Meal Planner bundle to improve my simple eating goals.)
14. Set Specific Goals
After performing the self-reflection actions above, setting specific goals to achieve can greatly improve your progress.
Where do you want to be mentally and physically in the next 6 months? 3 years? 5 years?
Visualizing these goals helps to make them a reality.
15. Try Counseling
Seeing a counselor or therapist can be a great way to talk about yourself in a professional, non-judgmental setting.
Your counselor will help you dig deeper into who you are and bring on some strong self-reflection.
Examples of Self-Reflection
To put the tips above to good use, I am going to share a few self-reflection examples that you can practice in your everyday life:
Taking a 30-minute walk in nature once a week.
Listen to your thoughts and feelings.
Wake up 30 minutes earlier. Sit down with a cup of coffee and read a book that you are excited about.
Try sitting in a dark room in silence with your thoughts for just 5 minutes every day. Try to add on time as you go.
You are feeling a little stressed today. Your mind is jumbled. Set a timer for 5 minutes and write out all of your thoughts.
Visualizing your to-do list and what you were thinking about made you realize you don't need to stress so much.
Take the time to assess a particular past event that you keep having dreams about.
You can find out why that event was stressing you out.
Think about a particular habit. You are now more aware of this habit in your everyday life and will be improving yourself immediately.
As you can see, self-reflection can be a great way to improve your overall life. By taking some time out of your day to reflect on past events, you will have a better sense of self. This sense of self will allow for things like better relationships and improved decision-making in your everyday life.
Stress will be cut-down and the cluttered thoughts, no more. Pick one or two ways to practice self-reflection and start implementing them into your everyday routine.
