Self-Reflection
Self-reflection enables you to move from just experiencing life, into understanding it. It encourages a level of self-awareness and consciousness that enables you to identify areas where you are thriving and also areas for potential improvement.
Introspection has been found to enhance focus, decrease stress and even improve physical health. Our core values and beliefs about ourselves, our life and our environment are formed before the age of seven, and are shaped by our upbringing and experiences. They operate at a subconscious level and influence how we perceive ourselves and the world around us. We then use these beliefs to subconsciously create a ‘set-point’ which, in turn, determines our behaviour.
Our set-point is where we feel comfortable and if we then move too far in one direction or another from our set-point we start to feel uncomfortable and may start making decisions based on fear or poor understanding.
Many of us never question these beliefs or set-points as they are so ingrained as our ‘ultimate truth’ however, as we mature and experience new things we may find that, in actual fact, those beliefs no longer serve us and we then need to learn how to change them.
As you work your way through this exercise, take the time to consider each statement or question carefully. There are no right or wrong answers and no expectations, this is simply an exercise for your own personal development and growth. If you find yourself wondering or worrying how a loved one may feel about your response, remind yourself that these are your thoughts and feelings and you are entitled to your own opinions. Expand on your answers as much as possible — you may learn something new about yourself!
Tips for Self-Reflection Self-reflection is all about analysing and understanding your thoughts and behaviours. To develop a heightened awareness of yourself and reap the benefits of introspection, keep these tips in mind: • Be completely open and honest with yourself• Write your answers down in a notebook or journal (it may be helpful to reflect on your answers again at a later date)• Determine your core values and beliefs• Forgive yourself when you make mistakes (if you never make mistakes you never learn anything new)
Now, grab your notebook, your favourite treat or drink, find a quiet space and spend some quality time reflecting on the following statements and questions. Getting StartedWhen we start a self-reflection exercise we can quite often feel discomfort, especially if this type of thing is new to us and it does not fit in with our idea of who we are or what we do. This exercise works best if you let go of your perceived identity, and all of your expectations and just let your thoughts flow without trying to control or regulate them. One strategy we can use ‘unblock’ these thoughts and quieten the inner critic is to start with a free-writing exercise. Free-writing is a technique in which you write your thoughts quickly and continuously, without worrying about form, style, spelling or grammar. It is all about loosening and limbering the thought process, not about performance or product. It is about getting out of our own way.
Free-writing can be liberating as it can defuse your internal obstacles: self-criticism, apathy, fear of failure, anxiety, perfectionism, resentment or any other types of resistance.
Forcing yourself to write under these conditions creates a different mindset. It taps into the part of your consciousness that’s not weighed down by distractions like fretting what someone else thinks or puzzling over how to spell certain words. When you’re paralysed by too many ideas at once, free-writing forces you to write something (anything), urging you past any resistance, especially from yourself.
You can expect that your writing will be sloppy, disjointed, and full of errors. That’s how you get those raw and unfiltered ideas. Give yourself permission to write poorly; you’ll be surprised at how much easier it is to write when you take the pressure off.
Free-writing exercise• Set a timer (start off somewhere between 5 - 10 mins). Setting a timer will free you from being drawn away from what you are writing.• Keep your pen moving. Don’t stop writing until the timer goes off.• Write down whatever thoughts come to mind. If your first thought is “I don’t know what to write” then you write down “I don’t know what to write” and then just keep writing every thought that pops into your head.• Write quickly. Write a little bit faster than your thought formation, even if it’s a little uncomfortable. Messy handwriting is welcome.• Give yourself permission to write poorly. Don’t stop to correct any errors or read what you have written. You are just there to propel the pen.• Once the timer goes off, stop writing, put down your pen then select one of the following topics for your self-reflection exercise.
Introspection has been found to enhance focus, decrease stress and even improve physical health. Our core values and beliefs about ourselves, our life and our environment are formed before the age of seven, and are shaped by our upbringing and experiences. They operate at a subconscious level and influence how we perceive ourselves and the world around us. We then use these beliefs to subconsciously create a ‘set-point’ which, in turn, determines our behaviour.
Our set-point is where we feel comfortable and if we then move too far in one direction or another from our set-point we start to feel uncomfortable and may start making decisions based on fear or poor understanding.
Many of us never question these beliefs or set-points as they are so ingrained as our ‘ultimate truth’ however, as we mature and experience new things we may find that, in actual fact, those beliefs no longer serve us and we then need to learn how to change them.
As you work your way through this exercise, take the time to consider each statement or question carefully. There are no right or wrong answers and no expectations, this is simply an exercise for your own personal development and growth. If you find yourself wondering or worrying how a loved one may feel about your response, remind yourself that these are your thoughts and feelings and you are entitled to your own opinions. Expand on your answers as much as possible — you may learn something new about yourself!
Tips for Self-Reflection Self-reflection is all about analysing and understanding your thoughts and behaviours. To develop a heightened awareness of yourself and reap the benefits of introspection, keep these tips in mind: • Be completely open and honest with yourself• Write your answers down in a notebook or journal (it may be helpful to reflect on your answers again at a later date)• Determine your core values and beliefs• Forgive yourself when you make mistakes (if you never make mistakes you never learn anything new)
Now, grab your notebook, your favourite treat or drink, find a quiet space and spend some quality time reflecting on the following statements and questions. Getting StartedWhen we start a self-reflection exercise we can quite often feel discomfort, especially if this type of thing is new to us and it does not fit in with our idea of who we are or what we do. This exercise works best if you let go of your perceived identity, and all of your expectations and just let your thoughts flow without trying to control or regulate them. One strategy we can use ‘unblock’ these thoughts and quieten the inner critic is to start with a free-writing exercise. Free-writing is a technique in which you write your thoughts quickly and continuously, without worrying about form, style, spelling or grammar. It is all about loosening and limbering the thought process, not about performance or product. It is about getting out of our own way.
Free-writing can be liberating as it can defuse your internal obstacles: self-criticism, apathy, fear of failure, anxiety, perfectionism, resentment or any other types of resistance.
Forcing yourself to write under these conditions creates a different mindset. It taps into the part of your consciousness that’s not weighed down by distractions like fretting what someone else thinks or puzzling over how to spell certain words. When you’re paralysed by too many ideas at once, free-writing forces you to write something (anything), urging you past any resistance, especially from yourself.
You can expect that your writing will be sloppy, disjointed, and full of errors. That’s how you get those raw and unfiltered ideas. Give yourself permission to write poorly; you’ll be surprised at how much easier it is to write when you take the pressure off.
Free-writing exercise• Set a timer (start off somewhere between 5 - 10 mins). Setting a timer will free you from being drawn away from what you are writing.• Keep your pen moving. Don’t stop writing until the timer goes off.• Write down whatever thoughts come to mind. If your first thought is “I don’t know what to write” then you write down “I don’t know what to write” and then just keep writing every thought that pops into your head.• Write quickly. Write a little bit faster than your thought formation, even if it’s a little uncomfortable. Messy handwriting is welcome.• Give yourself permission to write poorly. Don’t stop to correct any errors or read what you have written. You are just there to propel the pen.• Once the timer goes off, stop writing, put down your pen then select one of the following topics for your self-reflection exercise.
Self-Reflection Topics
.jpg "Know Yourself Better")
Know Yourself Better
.jpg "Past Self")
Past Self
.jpg "Future Self")
Future Self
.jpg)
Love & Relationships
.jpg "Finances")
Finances
.jpg "Career")
Career
.jpg "Self Care")
Self Care
.jpg "Bonus")
Bonus