Why self reflection is so important

2020-04-13T17:01:30+01:00

Self refection is a process by which you can grow your understanding of who you are, what your values are and why you act and think the way you do.  It’s an important tool to help understand the great and not so great experiences you’ve had in life.  Self reflection isn’t about sitting and dwelling on the past or talking to yourself negatively, it’s about discovering how to improve as a person. 

If you don’t practise self reflection, now is the perfect time to start.  Disciplining yourself to simply stop, even for 5 minutes and reflect on your day allows you to look at how things have gone and work out what could be better. 

Why do you need to self reflect?

To make sense of things going on in your life.  Self reflection is a really important tool to help look at where you are in your life, where you want to be and how you can get there.  It’s necessary for goal setting and achieving life long dreams.  It helps you make sense of what makes you happy and what doesn’t.  It can also identify mistakes you’ve made and offer an opportunity to learn from them.

To challenge your thoughts.  We have a tendency to focus on the negatives or our perceived weaknesses.  Take a moment to write these things down and actually see if they are as bad as you think they are.  I think you might be surprised to find that in the grand scheme of things they aren’t that bad.  

To recognise what needs to change in your life.  Self reflection can help shift your mindset and tackle each day more positively.  It helps you discover what you really want out of life, perhaps what you need to change in your life and identify the actions to make this happen.

To ensure you live your life fully.  Self reflection can help you realise what you have accomplished each day and can encourage you to think about how you can change your days to make sure you get the most out of them.

How to self reflect

Make sure that you are in the right environment for you, away from any distractions or interruptions.  This can be difficult if you have young children but try your best to get 10 minutes to yourself.  Ask yourself what is on your mind that needs resolving.  Taking time to ask yourself important questions will enable you to have a better understanding of your strengths, weakness and what motivates you.  Remember to be 100% truthful with yourself, otherwise it’s a pointless exercise.

  • Identify thought provoking questions that start with ‘What is’, or ‘How can I’.
  • Write your answers down.  
  • Make a decision and stick to it.

Self-reflection will help you gain a better understanding of yourself.  It will naturally help you to become more resilient and able to deal with challenging situations a little easier.

Give it a go – you’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Stay at home.  Stay safe.

Make the Change!

https://www.oaxlifecoaching.com/book-your-free-consultation/

Chris

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