Seeing Yourself: The Gift of Self-Reflection
We all want to live happy lives, filled with positivity. It’s possible to make an effort to live a better life. Nobody is perfect, and if we were all the same the world would be a very boring place.
Self-reflection is the process of looking at your wants, dreams, goals, attitudes, and behaviors. You then compare these things to how you’re actually living.
When you self-reflect, you can look at:
● How you are treated by others
● How you behave around people
● Where you are in your life
● How you are perceived by others
● Where your short and long-term goals may have changed
You Have The Power To Make Changes
If you take time to look at your hopes, dreams, and goals, you can establish just how satisfied you are with your life.
When self-reflecting, it may suddenly occur to you that you don’t enjoy your job anymore and you want to pursue a new career.
Alternatively, self-reflection could encourage you to pack up and move, go on holiday, get a new hobby, or even pick up the phone and reconnect with a friend.
Only when you spend time thinking about your hopes, dreams, and goals will you get insight into what you want. From there, you can take steps to make positive changes in your life.
You Can Become A Kinder Person
Often, it’s only when someone points out our behavior that we can take a moment to step back and realize the effect our words and actions have on people.
Self-reflection is all about making positive change, looking at the past, and considering how to set up a positive future.
Consider whether or not there is anyone in your life you could treat with more respect. Are you a kind person? Do you make an effort to connect with friends? Do you exhibit selfless behavior? Do you offer support to a friend in need?
Take some time to think about how you come across and whether there is room to become an even better friend.
You Can Reflect On How Much You’ve Achieved
Self-reflection doesn’t always have to involve making dramatic changes.
If you are feeling sad and need a bit of a boost, it might be worth thinking about or some of the milestones you’ve crossed and goals you’ve managed to achieve.
By reflecting on your achievements and your journey so far, you can appreciate how far you’ve come and where you’re headed.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving yourself a boost now and again. Remind yourself of your strength, dedication, resilience, and self-worth, and put yourself in a positive mood!
You Can Learn From Your Mistakes
Learning from the past and understanding the impact of our mistakes is hugely important.
By considering events from the past, you can process how much you have learned and establish how to make positive choices in the future. Knowledge and experience are powerful tools.
Sometimes in life, we need to be kind to ourselves. We need to remind ourselves of the journey we have been on. It’s also healthy to consider our behavior as family members, friends, and as people.
Be well and stay unapologetic,
Dr. Tonya