Just imagine you are in a place where you have to make better decisions for yourself. It can be any place selecting a career, buying things, and so on. In this context, it is important to know about yourself if not you will not be able to make a correct decision or you will get stuck on a path that does not suit you. In this busy world, people are working hard to run their lives. During this time, it is normal to lose out on who we are really. So it is important to be aware of your true self. Self-awareness is the ability to understand about own thoughts, emotions, and actions. Self-awareness helps the person to attain personal growth, embrace strength, and allow the person to move in the correct path of their life. To gain self-awareness we have to know ourselves better which is done by self-reflection.
Benefits of Self-Reflection
Self-reflection has various benefits which include:
- It fosters personal growth
- It increases the self-concept
- It facilitates a sense of control
- It improves decision-making skills
- Reflecting on ourselves leads to higher self-awareness
Unhealthy Self-Reflection
Sometimes self-reflection becomes unhealthy when an individual:
- Ruminate things
- Undergoes negative self-talk
- Criticize every action of themselves
- Start comparing themselves with others.
- Start making judgments about themselves
Ways to do Self-Reflection
Self-reflection can be done in various ways such as asking questions to ourselves, journalling our thoughts, Processing about a happened event, and experiencing emotions. Here are 26 questions individuals ask themselves to know them better:
1. Who I am actually?
This question creates self-awareness and a clear idea of our perception of our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Through this question, we can foster a meaningful connection to ourselves.
2. What are my short-term goals?
Knowing our short-term goals helps us to understand our ideas and vision which leads us to take action toward achieving them.
3. What are my long-term goals?
Long-term goals are the objectives one person sets and intends to achieve over time. It requires consistency and hard work. Understanding our long-term goals allows the person their long-term objectives.
4. What is my biggest strength?
Our strength is what is the thing we naturally excel in. Identifying our strengths helps us to succeed in the area which comes to us easily. Everybody has strength in different things. It is crucial to focus on ourselves rather than comparing ourselves with others’ strengths.
5. What is my weakness?
Identifying your weaknesses allows the person to identify the areas they need to improve. Determining our strengths and weaknesses has a host of benefits in a person’s life. The better we know about ourselves the better we choose appropriate decisions.
6. Am I living my life for myself?
This question helps you to know whether you are living your true self and whether your actions are aligned with your desire.
7. What is the thing I am scared of?
Our fear reveals the things and values we are concerned deeply about. It helps us to face the fear and helps us to come out of our comfort zone.
8. Am I stuck in a thing that I have to let go of?
By asking this we can understand what are the things, people, and situations we are overly attached to. Introspection allows us to understand the reason behind these dependencies and make changes.
9. What do I have to change about myself?
Sometimes everybody has some flaws. Just reflect on your flaws which you have to change. In this way, you can build a better self.
10. How many people are there for me in my toughest situation?
Reflect on who is the person who stands with you in your toughest situation. They may be your family members, friends, relatives and so on.
11. What was the moment that made me happy?
In your something made you really the happiest or in some situation, you will be experienced happiness. Reflect on it and understand what gives joy in your life
12. What is the thing I’m grateful for?
Gratitude is a personal experience, In our life, we are grateful for so many people. It could be our family, friends, spouse, and our environment. Let’s think about what we are grateful for.
13. What matters the most in my life?
Reflect on your thoughts on your life and observe what matters most. It could be anything like values, education, health, or aspirations.
14. What are my values?
Reflecting on principles, what thinking guides your actions? Your values are deeply reflected in your actions.
15. What are the things I do for fun?
Our life would be miserable if we didn’t have fun in our lives. Certain things could fill our lives with fun. Reflect on your life, and what things give your life fun.
16. What is my favourite book or movie?
Books and movies could help fill the gaps in our lives with education as well as entertainment. Observe what is your favorite movies and books. Reflect on why specific movies and books connect with you.
17. What are the things my dreams about?
Dreams are capable of conveying your unconscious mind. Introspect yourself and try what are the things that your dreams try to convey. It might be hard to remember your dream. Practice mindfulness and some workouts that could help you to remember your dreams.
18. What made me worried about?
It is important to know what are the things that make you worry. If you analyse it that could be helpful to improve the overall wellbeing.
19. Do I feel energized being around people or not?
Understanding whether you like being surrounded by people or not reveals you are an extrovert or introvert.
20. What do I do to myself whether self-compassion or self-care?
Self-compassion is treating yourself the same as treating others when they are in difficult situations. Self-care is taking care of your body and mind. Reflect on what you are doing to yourself.
21. what are my needs in life?
Think about your needs which you feel lacking and which you want to achieve in your life.
22. what are things I learned from my mistake?
Our mistakes gave chance to learn something. Reflect on your thoughts on the mistakes and try to learn something from those mistakes and make your life pleasant and successful.
23. Does I have thought of what others think of me?
Sometimes people used to do things concerning what think about them but at the same time forget this is the thing which is correct for them. Reflect on this question and understand whether you make decisions for yourself or others
24. What does life mean to me?
Just ask this question and it will answer what is the main thing in your life.
25. What is most important to me to love or be loved?
We can give love as well as we are capable of giving love. But realize which one you like most to be loved or given love.
26. How do I face my challenges?
This question reveals how you are coping with your problems and finding better solutions to them.
In the scheduled world, it is easy for people to zone out from their true selves. So it is important to self aware of whether they are aligned with their true values. In order to gain self-awareness individual has to undergo a process called self-reflection which is reflecting our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Self-reflection has a host of benefits but sometimes doing certain things during self-reflection such as ruminating on things, making judgments about ourselves, and criticizing ourselves leads to unhealthy self-reflection. One person can undergo self-reflection in distinct ways such as through asking questions, journalling, and interpreting events. Here 26 questions are discussed which individuals ask themselves to understand themselves.
FAQs:
1. Why do people have to know about themselves?
Firstly, People have to understand themselves better than only they understand others and make appropriate decisions that are correct to them.
2. How to know about ourselves better?
It can be done through self-reflection in which the person processes their thoughts, feelings and behaviour through which they come to know themselves better.
3. How does self-reflection can be done?
It can be done in various ways such as:
- Journaling
- Asking a question to ourselves
- Interpreting events
- Practicing gratitude
- Meditation
References +
- Ackerman, C. E., MA. (2024, July 9). 87 Self-Reflection Questions for Introspection [+Exercises]. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/introspection-self-reflection/
- https://www.verywellmind.com/self-reflection-importance-benefits-and-strategies 7500858
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-angry-therapist/202402/5-questions-to ask-so-you-can-understand-yourself better
- https://psychcentral.com/blog/imperfect/2016/04/26-question-to-help-you-know yourself-better
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