The Power of Self-Reflection
Nowadays we are almost always busy with one thing or another. When was the last time you stopped, took a deep breath and practised self-reflection?
Self-reflection is a deliberate act of objectively observing your inner world, exploring your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with mindfulness and curiosity. This practice allows you to gain insights into your patterns, behaviours, and emotions that might otherwise be unconscious. By understanding what your triggers, values, beliefs and motivations are you can then decide to actively change how you respond to them.
But how? I hear you ask. Much like a muscle, you need to practise this regularly, ideally daily. Here are a few ideas of how you can practise this for yourself.
Keep a journal - set aside some time each day to capture your thoughts and feelings. You can ask yourself things like; What emotions have I experienced today? What recurring thought patterns have I experienced? What other perspectives could I consider?
Meditate - find a quiet space and get comfortable. Sit with your breath and observe the rise and fall of your chest with each breath. If you find your mind wandering, observe it and bring yourself back to the breath.
In the moment - if you find your thoughts wandering and realise what you are telling yourself is not true / resourceful for you, take a deep breath in through your nose and out of your mouth and remind yourself what is real and what is in your control. Add these experiences to your journaling too.
Over time, you will experience heightened emotional intelligence and be building the ability to choose how you respond in different scenarios, giving you more clarity and headspace to focus on what is really important to you.