Self Reflection For Self Discovery
As we move in to January of 2025, I’ve been pondering on the idea of “self-reflection”…
What is it exactly?
How can I positively self-reflect without dwelling on the past?
What does healthy self-reflection look like?
How often should I self-reflect?
Have these questions ever popped up for you?
Have you avoided the practice of self-reflection because you don’t wish to think to critically about the past…I most definitely have.
After all of these questions running through my mind, I came to a wonderful realisation…Self-reflection is not at all negative and it is in fact a positive and in my opinion essential aspect of self-growth and self-discovery.
So with this, I will share my personal experiences & thoughts on the practice of self-reflection and how I have been able to use this as a tool to encourage positive change, appreciate my growth, gain internal awareness and understand more of my personal identity.
What is self reflection:
William James’ (an American philosopher & psychologist) theory of self-reflection refers to the idea that this practice is a way to understand our spiritual self which is our core identity. Self reflection can open an opportunity to turn inwards & understand your true self.
How can we self reflect:
Conversations
A realisation that I’ve had is that we may self reflect more than meets the eye. The deeper & more meaningful conversations with loved ones / friends in our life can often spark realisations from experiences or emotions you may have felt. You then may begin to self-reflect in that moment or you might begin to think further and deeper about that conversation in your own time. Feeling comfortable & safe enough to openly talk about these feelings or emotions can be a very helpful way to self-reflect with the support of someone that you love…
Journaling
You can also cultivate positive self-reflection through the power of journaling. In my personal experience, the key to making sure this is a meaningful & positive experience is achieved through the questions you ask yourself.
Making sure these prompt you in the direction you wish to go in that will encourage self awareness & acknowledge self growth. I have included 20 self-reflective journal prompts at the end of this post for you to try in your own time.
Gratitude
You can reflect through daily gratitude, cultivating appreciation for the simple joys in life & finding more meaning/purpose because of that.
Gratitude brings in so much more positivity & optimism to our lives and this form of self-reflection is one that can absolutely lead to many positive shifts in ones life & create a beautiful outlook on life itself.
Thoughts & feelings
Simply writing down your thoughts can often spark opportunity for self-reflection as it can deepen your perspective on them.
By honouring the way you feel & the emotions you are experiencing, you are providing yourself with an opportunity to understand WHY.
Understanding WHY further prompts you to create change in your life or properly process the feelings as they are.
Often, the times you reflect on why you felt a certain way about something, after the matter, you gain much more understanding as to why it is you felt that way & you can then begin to think of ways to manage these feelings & emotions.
Goals & desires
Reflecting on personal goals & desires for yourself can be yet another positive form of self-reflection. This can create more personal alignment in your life by identifying where you wish to place your energy & why. What gives you purpose in life? What brings more meaning to your life? What are your aspirations?
Then, you can begin to align your actions with these goals & desires.
Creativity
You can spark self reflection through creative expression. By using creative outlets in your life to develop ideas & spark inspiration can be a beautiful way to build upon your emotional intelligence, self esteem & personal identity.
Diving deeper into whatever it is that sparks some type of creativity within your soul can without a doubt allow you to deepen the relationship you have with yourself. Creativity offers and opportunity to heal, think, understand and reflect. I can say with confidence, holding space for the creative outlets in my life, the things that light me up with passion & purpose has truly helped me heal from within, connect with and reflect on my inner child.
Why should we self-reflect?
Self-reflection can improve your self esteem, emotional intelligence & allow you to become more in tune with your desires, beliefs & core values in life. It allows you to sit with your thoughts, reflect on experiences and provides you with perspective. This will ultimately allow you to make the necessary shifts to grow as individual and find purpose in your life.
These are just a few examples of how we can practice self-reflection and the special thing is that there are so many more.
How do you like to self reflect?
Now, I will share 20 self-reflective journal prompts for you to try…
So my love, grab your journal, your favourite tea, a comfortable space & spare some time for yourself to reflect & nourish your mind with this self-reflective practice.
20 prompts for self-reflection
What has drained my energy recently?
What has given me energy recently?
When do I feel most confident in myself?
What have I learned recently from the challenges I’ve overcome?
What are the negative self-beliefs I’m having currently? How will I let go of them?
List/write about a recent conversation I’ve had that left me feeling inspired or empowered:
How have I handled my anxious thoughts recently?
Who/what surrounds me when I feel true to myself?
Do I feel safe right now? What makes me feel/not feel safe?
How have I showed up for myself recently?
Do my recent actions align with my intentions?
How have I been cultivating gratitude in to my life?
Is there a circumstance or situation recently where I am not proud of the way I reacted? How will I choose to respond differently in the future? What have I learned from this reaction?
What are 3 things I am proud of myself for recently?
What is an act of kindness I’ve shown to another recently?
What is one recent memory I will cherish?
What do I love to do alone?
Where am I when I feel most at peace with myself and my surroundings?
What are my current priorities?
What are some acts of mindfulness I’ve been practicing recently that I will continue to do?
Thank you for being here.
You are appreciated more than you know.
With love,
Bell xx
A friendly disclaimer; This is written based on my own personal experience, thoughts & research on the topic. I do not intend this to be any sort of professional guidance or advice, simply food for thought & hopefully inspire you to practice self-reflection through journaling.
References;
James Tyler, Marc-Olivier Boldi, Mauro Cherubini,
Contemporary self-reflective practices: A large-scale survey, Acta Psychologica, Volume 230, 2022, 103768, ISSN 0001-6918,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103768.
