Rest & Reflect: Harness the power of reflecting
Self Reflection | Rest & Reflect | Meaning of Self Reflection
Welcome to my mental download on the topic of reflections!
You will learn more about the term mental download later (what a suspense, right?).
When I hear “rest”, I would sometimes associate it with being lazy and not being productive or “doing something”. Yes, yes, of course I know that this is not the case, but what can I say? Sometimes these kinds of thoughts still come up.
However, I have also learned (the hard way) that I need to rest and am already getting better at it. Especially, because I have learned to truly enjoy it and make it my way. I recently also fell in love with the expression “pockets of time”. And so I tell myself that I need to fill my pockets with different things every day. It could be rest, or movement, or writing (guess which pocket I just opened? ;) ) - I won’t mention work or eating, because they somehow happen automatically.
Back to rest. One of my favourite activities (yes, I call it activity, but you see that it is linked with resting, right? *guilty*) is taking time to rest and reflect. Be it reflecting on my week, my month, or a particular event that happened. This ritual of reflecting is very special to me. I will admit that it doesn’t always come as naturally as I wish it would, but I know that the moment I sit down with my special notebook and special pen (I have of course different notebooks and different pens for my different reflections ;) ) time stops, and it’s just about me and my thoughts and feelings.
Step into the world of reflecting!
In case you aren’t a reflection aficionado yet, let’s take a moment and go through some (of the many) benefits of why it matters and can be actually very beneficial to you and your wellbeing.
Why to reflect?
Clarity
Writing your thoughts down and putting your feelings on paper creates clarity. Especially when you find yourself in a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts and nothing makes sense, that is a perfect moment to sit down and simply start writing. It helps to start with a question like “How do I feel right now?” or “Why does x matter to me?”.
Mental download
This is particularly important for the people who suffer from insomnia or have a great number of lists in their head. Put your thoughts, lists and to dos on paper and share the heaviness and burden of all these thoughts with the paper. It is quite patient and will wait for you. Resting and getting enough sleep is way more important.
Moving forward
Closure. Another fancy word for “closing a chapter” or “moving forward”. You’ve been through an intense and stressful period, or an unexpected event hit you. Once you’ve come out on the other side, it will help you to write down your thoughts on how you feel right now and what you’ve learned. Don’t look immediately for the next challenge or “thing to do”. Take time, sit down and write it all down.
Create an inventory
Writing and reflecting is also extremely rewarding when something good happens to you! Imagine you could look back at everything you have achieved and experienced these recent years? All the meaningful connections you’ve made, all the funny moments you’ve had. Or maybe you made a very important decision recently? It’s never too late to start commemorating these special moments in a very simple way and with only a pen and a notebook.
2. How to reflect?
It is a legitimate question to ask yourself what is the best way for you to reflect. So far, I have only mentioned writing, but there are also other ways to reflect. Finding a creative outlet for your thoughts and emotions is a very exciting way of getting to know yourself and who knows, maybe you will be surprised to see what your preference will be.
I recommend you to approach this process with curiosity and try out all three suggestions below. Don’t forget to (even) have fun along the way!
By writing
Have I already mentioned writing? Let’s use another term for it: journaling. If you are trying it out the first time, be gentle and playful. Let it flow and write down whatever comes to your mind. No structure needed, just you and your notebook and pen, filling up your pages with thoughts, feelings and whatever else jumps on your train of thought.
By recording
I’m sure that you’ve already listened to plenty of voice messages. No judgement here on the use and length of voice messages of course. Yet, it illustrates well what a recorded reflection could look like. You basically record your voice and can consider it as a voice message to yourself. A very simple start could be “Hi (your first name), I have to tell you something.”). If you’ve ever seen “One Day At A Time”, a show aired on Netflix, you might remember the scene where the main character records a voice message to herself. She finds it silly at first, but later on realises that it was very helpful. I’ve done this in a moment in my life, when I didn’t manage to write down what was going on inside of me and found it extremely powerful as well.
It can be a pep talk and it can be a painful realisation - try it out and you know already how to start. Luckily, you only need your phone to do so.
By drawing
Where are the creative souls here? If you feel like it is easier for you to express your inside world by drawing or painting, let it flow! Alternatively, you can work with different colours, words and do some hand lettering. Most importantly, don’t forget to keep it and write a date on it. It will be great to look at it in a few years time and think back of the time when you sat down and let your creativity flow.
3. When to reflect?
Timing is everything (in life). When it comes to reflecting, it is the same. But let me also tell you, that if you are waiting for the right moment to reflect, it most probably won't show up magically. You have to take time to do it. For some people it works to put it in their calendar, some already have the habit of ending their week by sitting down and reflecting, and others might have a whole ritual around it.
Why don’t you take out your agenda (or open it on your computer) and schedule a reflection session right now. It can be at the end of the week, at the end of the month, or why not join my end of your reflections workshop? 🙂I will announce it soon in my 3byMe newsletter, where you will also receive a registration link. You can subscribe here. And by then, why don’t you flex your reflection muscle by scheduling your first “training session”?
Enjoy!