What is Self-Reflection? Why is it so Important?

We are all pretty familiar with how we look on the outside, but how well do we know the many different aspects...

Indeed Flex

13 October 2020

3 min read

We are all pretty familiar with how we look on the outside, but how well do we know the many different aspects of ourselves? The parts that make us unique as an individual, are usually the parts we and others can’t see. Therefore getting to know our whole selves better, will enable us to live a more enriched life. We can do this by becoming more self reflective.

So how does Self Reflection help? Self-reflection is a process by which you grow your understanding of who you are, what your values are, and why you think and act the way you do. See it as a form of personal analysis that you do on a continual basis in order to consistently self improve and develop. 

When you reflect on how you behave and what your thoughts are during certain moments of your life and the world around you, it allows you to consider what aspects of your life you want to improve and change and those you need to work on.

Let’s see what the benefits are:

  • Improved relationships
  • Clarity when thinking
  • Improved decision making
  • Understanding your values
  • Better sleep

When you are ready to self reflect it’s important to be in the right frame of mind also try these 5 tips: 

  • Find a quiet spot. Your environment needs to be quiet, peaceful and comfortable, it’s recommended to self reflect in a space you are familiar with.
  • Ask yourself why? Try and think about the following questions: Why is the first thing to think about, why do you act the way you act? Why do you think the way you think? These may be questions you think about after a specific event in your day or may be from a general event in your life.
  • Ask what, where and who? Try and revolve your thinking time around these 3 questions when thinking about what, where and who: What would I have done differently? Where do I want to get to? Who do I want to be? Where do I want to get to? Who do I want to be? This is a great foundation to structure your thoughts.
  • Ask how? Once you’ve established some areas you would like to improve on, consider how you are going to do it and what approach you may take. What are the first steps you can take in order to make a positive change.
  • Give yourself time but also know when to stop. It’s important to not self reflect too much when it impacts your day to day, self reflection should be a healthy activity that can be done daily, weekly or monthly. If it’s an activity you see yourself doing too often, be mindful of that and try to build a healthy structure. 
  • Note down things that may be useful. Don’t be afraid to make notes on what you’re reflecting upon or maybe start journaling your thoughts. It’s always nice to look back on moments of self reflection as they sometimes can become lost in our busy day to day lives. 

 

We hope this has inspired some of our community members to self reflect and helped you understand the importance of it, and how it can benefit you.

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