Self-Reflection Questions You Should Ask Yourself and Why It Matters

Self-reflection is one of the biggest tools we have in our toolbox when it comes to self-discovery, personal growth, and well- life itself actually. When was the last time you stopped to reflect?

It’s an essential skill to develop by practicing it on a regular basis (consistency is always important for any task worth dong). You should stop and reflect often to find out more about yourself including why you think, say, and do certain things. With this, then comes endless opportunities to learn and improve.

Sadly, self-reflection is not a common practice in most people’s daily lives. That’s why Health Means Wealth loves bringing education and actions about these types of topics to your attention each month. What we want to do right now is look at the reasons why self-reflection is so important.

Understanding the power of self-reflection will expedite your health goals and help them feel both sustainable and fulfilling at the same time!

The importance of self-reflection.

Think about it, without self-reflection we simply go through the motions of life. Essentially, we move from one thing to the next without taking the time to evaluate whether things are actually going well. We don’t pause to think.

It’s so important to determine what is going well and what isn’t working in your life- that’s obvious. Yet, how often does this actually happen? Probably less than it should. And the unfortunate result is that we often get stuck.

For example, a lack of personal reflection may lead us to stay in a job we don’t like or a relationship that isn’t going well.

A lack of reflection causes us to simply keep running, stuck in our comfort zone trying to keep up with things even if things aren’t going well. We feel like we’re simply trying to keep our heads above water.  It leads to living in survival mode with no idea how to get out of it- ultimately affecting our ability to thrive and live high quality and healthy lives.

Over time, we end up doing the same things over and over again, even if those things aren’t producing the results we had hoped for. And nobody wants that!

The benefits of self-reflection.

Taking time for self-reflection can be difficult and feel like “one more thing” you need to add your growing list of to-dos. It can feel overwhelming and challenging to take the necessary time to step back and reflect on what truly matters. Primarily, this can be changed with a mindset shift as you realize that reflection actually helps you prioritize and manage your schedule and activities more effectively. Nevertheless, there are numerous wonderful benefits of self-reflection and we should all make time for it to learn about ourselves.

It helps you respond more effectively.

Most of the time, we simply react to whatever circumstances come our way. This can lead to us saying and doing things we regret. When we’re in a reactive mode, we don’t take the necessary time to consider our actions and words.

Self-reflection definitely helps us be more mindful of our actions and the resulting consequences.

It allows you to gain perspective.

Emotions can cloud your judgment and you can lose sight of what truly matters. Some things seem bigger and worse than they truly are.

Self-reflection allows you to take a step back and gain perspective on what matters and what can be ignored. It allows you to process events and achieve clarity on them. Some people talk about feeling a “sense of peace” when they take the time to do this even in the face of adversity.

Personal reflection allows you to consider the consequences of your words and actions. It also enables you to consider the best, most effective, most helpful way to act and well in any given situation.

It promotes learning and understanding.

When we go through life without pausing to think and reflect, we don’t learn or gain a deeper understanding of life. We simply move from one thing to the next, never pausing to consider what valuable lessons we might learn. Every triumph, mistake, and trivial action can be a learning point if you let it. Self-reflection, on the other hand, enables us to evaluate and process what we’ve experienced. It allows us to think deeply and ponder the meaning of our circumstances, emotions, and motivations. It enables us to live holistic, integrated, and healthy lives.

When should you practice self-reflection?

There are a number of times when self-reflection is particularly helpful. First, it can be useful to do it for a few minutes each week, or even day.  For example, I always review my past week and then make a plan for the following week right after.

You don’t have to go through all of the questions or take hours to do it. Focus on what has been on your mind that particular week.

It can also be helpful to practice self-reflection as an end of month personal review and end of year personal review. Grab your personal planner, notes from the year, and take time to figure out what worked for you, what didn’t, and how you’d like to proceed in the new year!

In other words, at the end of each month and year, do an in-depth personal review of your life. Look back over the previous days and months and analyze your life. 

This practice will provide you with a helpful perspective and ensure that you are living life to the fullest.

Related read: 10 Ways to Be Good to Yourself

Self Reflection Questions

Here are some questions to ‘ask’ when you reflect on YOU and learn about yourself:

• What are my core values?
• What are the beliefs, guiding principles or ideas that are deeply important to me?
• What are my priorities? (And are they reflected in my schedule and actions?)
• What are my unique gifts, skills, strengths or talents? (And am I using them to my advantage?)
• What are the weaknesses or blind spots I need to watch out for?
• Who do I want to be?
• What energy do I want to bring to everything I do?
• What is the impact or difference I want to make?
• How do I want to serve, contribute or add value?
• What are my passions? What do I love? What gets me engaged, motivated and excited?
• Are there any beliefs that I have that are limiting me?
• What do I want for my life? (after all, if you don’t know what you want, how do you expect to get there?)
• When am I at my best?

Be consistent and make the progress you want.

If self-reflection isn’t a regular part of your life right now, this is your wake-up call. It’s time for you to take a step back. Time to hop off the treadmill of life. Time to reflect.

I will admit this is a work in progress for me. But when I manage to keep up with it, I feel significantly more organized and clear on which direction my life is taking. Feeling a deep sense of purpose and direction are always a great way to live life, which I think everyone can agree on. Personal development should always be a priority.

The importance of self-reflection is a topic that is covered in depth in my guide for Consistent Healthy Habits. If you haven’t checked it out, I’d highly recommend getting your hands on a copy. It is jammed full of practical knowledge for getting started on the right foot immediately.

Remember- whichever step you take next is perfect in taking steps to care for and love yourself. There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do this. It’s only about what works for you!