The Inner Journey: The Importance of Self-Reflection and How to Go About It
While some of us feel like we’re on the right track in life, others can feel quite lost as they go about their day-to-day lives. Fortunately, this is something that is easily fixable. How? Making changes that will lead to a more positive and rewarding life journey begins with taking the time to learn more about who you are and strengthening your relationship with yourself. If you’re looking to take these first steps, here are some great self-reflection exercises that will allow you to get in touch with you!
Great Self-Reflection Exercises
1. Start Your Own Journal
A journal is arguably one of the best tools out there for self-reflection. This is due to the fact that journals are so flexible in their use. Whether you are looking to keep track of your daily thoughts and emotions, make a list of all of your goals and track your progress as you go, or simply note your mood and activity levels on a regular basis, your journal gives you the ability to write down all of your hopes, dreams, successes, feelings, and progress across an extended period of time. You can then use this information to learn more about yourself as you are and as you were, making the adjustments you need to in life in order to get to where you want to be. If you haven’t already started journaling, find some prompts that will help you get started and look around to see which kind of journaling method works best for you. If done right, you can learn a lot about yourself through this practice.
2. Engage in Mindfulness Meditation
Meditation is a great exercise to practice on its own to help reduce stress and anxiety and promote relaxation. When you practice mindfulness meditations regularly you can also begin developing a level of self-reflection that will better serve you in the future. Mindfulness meditation challenges you by forcing you to focus on the present moment, acknowledging your thoughts and letting them pass by. If you are someone whose thoughts heavily impact their life and self-perception, you will learn how to become more self-aware through this exercise, which is ultimately the first step to creating change in your life. If you don’t already, try incorporating at least 5 to 10 minutes a day of mindfulness meditation into your life. Your body and your mind will thank you!
3. Keep a Collection of Video Diaries
Online and written journals can sometimes be an ineffective method of capturing thoughts and feelings. Why? Because both online and offline journals can be so easily edited, we may find ourselves altering the story in order to match our personal narrative. Video diaries, on the other hand, force us to say what we feel as we feel it in the moment, which can go much further in helping us learn more about who we are and what we want. If you find yourself regularly editing your journals to match what you want to hear, consider keeping a collection of video diaries instead. Just make sure that you back up your videos to a hard drive or upload it to an online storage server!
Getting the Most Out of Your Self-Reflection Journey
The exercises above are a great first step, but only if you treat them as such. Use these practices to discover who you are and what you want, what may be holding you back, and what actions you can take moving forward to improve your current situation. If you feel like you are not in tune with yourself and it is causing you to live a life you are not happy with, all you need is more self-awareness and a commitment to change to forge the path that brings you the most happiness. The sooner you begin, the closer you will align with yourself and your needs!
