Read through the following three lists to get some ideas for introspective questions. Some of these can be asked, answered, and addressed every day, while others may best be saved for occasional self-reflection. There are nearly endless questions, prompts, and ideas you can use to take a self-reflection break. With this important point in mind, let’s move on to the questions, exercises, and worksheets that you can use to work on your own self-reflection.ħ0 Self-Reflective Questions to Ask Yourself “Why” questions can highlight our limitations and stir up negative emotions, while “what” questions help keep us curious and positive about the future (Eurich, 2017). To help stay on the right path with your self-reflection, consider asking more “what” questions than “why” questions. We are surprisingly good at coming up with rational explanations for the irrational behaviors we engage in (Dahl, 2017). In addition, it is all too easy for us to fool ourselves into thinking we have found some deep insight that may or may not be accurate. In fact, those who take self-reflection too far can end up feeling more stressed, depressed, and anxious than ever (Eurich, 2017). When your focus on introspection has morphed from a dedication to an obsession, you have taken it too far.

Reflecting on ourselves and our environments is a healthy and adaptive practice, but it should be undertaken with some care-there is, in fact, a wrong way to do it. If you don’t make the time and effort to refocus your mind on the positive through introspection, you won’t give yourself the opportunity to grow and develop.Įnhancing our ability to understand ourselves and our motivations and to learn more about our own values helps us take the power away from the distractions of our modern, fast-paced lives and instead refocus on fulfillment (Wood, 2013). Researchers have shown that we think more than 50,000 thoughts per day, of which more than half are negative and more than 90% are just repeats from the day before (Wood, 2013). Wundt’s work eventually led to the current work on perceptual processes and the establishment of the field of cognitive psychology. Wundt focused on three areas of mental functioning: thoughts, images, and feelings. The original idea of introspection was developed by Wilhelm Wundt in the late 1800s (McLeod, 2008). The formal experimental technique is a more objective and standardized version of this, in which people train themselves to carefully analyze the contents of their own thoughts in a way that’s as unbiased as possible. The process can be focused on either one’s current mental experience or mental experiences from the very recent past. The informal reflection process can be defined as examining one’s own internal thoughts and feelings and reflecting on what they mean. Still, both processes can be undertaken by anyone with curiosity and determination (Cherry, 2016). Introspection can be practiced both as an informal reflection process and a formal experimental approach, and the two have different definitions. The 3 Best Books on Self-Reflection and Introspection.10 Self-Reflection Exercises, Activities, and Techniques for Adults and Students.70 Self-Reflective Questions to Ask Yourself.What Is the Importance of Introspection?.

Questions for deep thought