Initially, its normal to play over in our minds negative events such as a marriage breakdown or loss of a loved one. The final stage is a future focused stage where you consider what you might do next time you are in a similar situation. Ask ten different people why we recognize Womens History Month, and youll probably get ten different responses. Do you sometimes take time to clarify your values in a moment of doubt or uncertainty? What qualities or traits do you most admire in others? Leadership BackLeadership Budget & Finance Equity & Diversity. Have you ever told a friend experiencing a troubling situation I know exactly how you feel? How is the public you different from the private you? Reflective thinking can help you become more open-minded towards others, and better understand where they are coming from. Hi, Im Hanan Parvez (MBA, MA Psychology), founder and author of PsychMechanics. Reflective Thinking: Revealing What Really Matters. You can neither read minds nor know what the future holds. Over the years, Ive learned that reflecting on your past can be difficult for some, but by the same token, it can also provide a major source of motivation and be a very useful tool. Why? If you are struggling with reflective writing for an academic assignment, you may find it useful to begin with a personal reflection and then adapt it to fit your assignment. Because I grew up in a household that lacked any knowledge of how to resolve conflict healthily, I was positioned to become another statistic. Response: Students Share Their Best School Experiences and What We Can Built with love in the Netherlands. If you could accomplish only one thing before you died, what would it be? "There is a big element of nostalgia that isn't about us retreating to the past," he says. Contrary to popular belief, we can train ourselves to develop any kind of personality that we want. I thought that my experiences singled me out as abnormal. In this exercise, you will dive into your subconscious. In a way, all of us are time travelers. For example, the five self-examination exercises listed below (Bates, 2012) are a good way to get started with self-reflection. Its a rewarding experience to truly soak in what another person is saying, both for you and the other person (Bates, 2012). As an experiment, keep some knowledge to yourself, as a gift to you (Bates, 2012). But we can become fixated on these experiences, which is associated with depression and anxiety. In turn, you are likely to be willing to take on new challenges and fear them less. What were my biggest struggles? ***This is one of the very few affiliate links on Peaceful Soul***, Article: This 5 minute read written by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.