They say it’s not wise to dwell in the past. But sometimes, we can’t help it. Memories swarm our minds like bees when we are alone and somewhat disturbed—constantly buzzing as if they want to tell us something. Being engrossed in the past isn’t wise, but self-reflection is sometimes vital. There are many importance of self-reflection. An amount of healthy reflection helps us to grow & learn.
Self-reflection is like looking at a mirror & realizing your vision. It is a way of evaluating yourself, your actions & judgments. To describe it, ‘reflection’ is the action of thinking about something. Often this type of reflection helps us to rediscover our core identity.
How Self-Reflection Helps Us
1. It Helps Us To Gather Lessons
After some event or incident, regardless of the outcome, it may be favorable or unfavorable, and we often skip the lesson. If it is a success, we cherish it; if it is a failure, we move on & start afresh. In that transition process, we often overlook the lesson that the incident or outcome offered. A quiet self-reflection offers us another chance to learn from it.
Suppose you lost your job, and you got so overwhelmed & worried about your future you immediately start job hunting. Not considering why you lost your jobs in the first place. Even if you get a new job, it is not guaranteed you won’t make the same mistakes again.
Suppose you got a promotion and got so busy celebrating it; you didn’t think about why you got it. After careful self-reflection, if you get the answers, you certainly will avoid repeating the same mistakes or repeating your actions for further achievements.
2. It Helps Us To Recognize Our Strengths & Weaknesses
One of the major importance of self-reflection is it helps us to recognize our strengths & weaknesses. Often a situation comes where we panic & get overwhelmed. There can also be a situation when we remain calm & composed & handle the situation effectively. Self-reflection allows us to go back to when we lost our cool or maintained it.
Suppose you are considering the incident when one of your family members met with an accident. What did you do? You started panicking & crying until someone consoled you or remained calm & took control of the situation to ensure your family member got the needed medical attention?
If you panic, you can recognize your weaknesses & do something about them. If you calmly manage the situation, you can recognize your strength & try to use it in the future. Either way, self-reflection helps you to know yourself.
3. It Allows You To Have Perspective
Emotions can blur your judgment & you can lose sight of what matters most. Some things may seem larger & worse than they really are.
Self-reflection allows you to step back & have a new perspective on what matters & things that can be ignored. It helps you to process events more meaningfully & have clarity on them. It is the best importance of self-reflection.
4. It Helps You To Act More Efficiently
Most of the time, we react to whatever circumstances we face. This can cause saying & doing things we regret later. When unthinking, we don’t take the required time to think about our actions & words.
Personal reflection helps you to reconsider the effects of your actions & words. It also helps you to think about the best, most efficient & helpful way to act in a particular situation.
5. It Helps To Identify Your True Values
You will find it easier to discover yourself if you have spent more time thinking about what truly matters to you. When you reflect upon yourself, you may see things you have done that go against your core values.
You can think about the vital issues we face in daily life & have a firm opinion about them. Sometimes, once you really reflect on those, you can decide what your ideal opinion should be. This can cover all types of moral issues, like the right to protest or the preservation of the environment. Or it can help you discover the guiding values you want to practice.
Self-reflection is how your moral compass can be created & polished so that you can act true to it. It can help you to feel more directed & empowered in life to create a better future that supports your core values.
6. It Helps To Have Better Decision Making Power
We make many decisions daily, but most are trivial & can be left to our instincts. But when it comes to the more vital decisions, personal reflection is precious. It brings clarity of thought & consciousness of your true values.
With these two aspects, you can make effective decisions leading to the optimal path to greater well-being. That means less regrets or missed opportunities & more peace of mind knowing that you decided wisely.
7. It Helps To Bring Down Stress & Anxiety
One of the key benefits of self-reflection & knowledge of yourself more closely is that you become more self-assured in yourself & your actions. You can find more assurance in this uncertain world as you are grounded firmly in your sense of self.
Greater confidence brings less stress & anxiety. You don’t worry about the ‘what ifs’ & pay more attention to the things you can do or control to support your actions’ best guiding principles of your life. To do that, one must know What Is Self-reflection.
Some Questions You Should Ask Yourself
Now we are well-informed about the importance of self-reflection, we can ask some questions to ourselves to practice self-reflection. Here are some of them:
- What are my strengths?
- What are my weaknesses?
- What skills do I have?
- What problems in my professional/personal life may affect me?
- What are my achievements?
- What makes me happy?
- What makes me unhappy?
- What are my needs & wants?
- What could I do to improve the situation?
FAQs
Q: What is the ideal time for self-reflection?
A: The ideal time for self-reflection is when you are alone & in a calm mind in a tranquil place.
Q: What is the difference between self-reflection & memorizing?
A: Memorizing can be an idle process, whereas self-reflection is a conscious attempt to rediscover yourself.
Q: Can meditation help me to self-reflect?
A: In the meditation process, you focus on your breathing & try to control running thoughts in your mind. Self-reflection needs a calm state of mind; meditation can help you to achieve that.
