Self-reflection

Overview

Self-reflection refers to the mental activity of consciously examining your own experiences, thoughts, feelings, and actions. Donald Schon proposed the concept of the "reflective practitioner" and discussed the role reflection plays in learning from experience. Reflection isn't just reminiscing. It's an active process of giving meaning to experience and putting it to use in what you do next.

The reflection record a question box leaves behind

The Q&A in your question box has become a record of your thinking without you meaning it to. When you reread answers from half a year ago, you may be surprised: "So this is what I was thinking back then." Your values may have changed, a worry may have been resolved, or, on the contrary, you may still be worrying about the same thing.

Unlike a diary, a question box is a set of responses to questions from others. It gives you chances to look at yourself again from angles you wouldn't think of on your own. A record of your answer to a question like "What does happiness mean to you?" becomes material for reflection for your future self.

Making reflection a habit

If you use your question box as a tool for reflection, it's a good idea to build a habit of rereading past Q&A regularly. Once a month, reread your answers from 3 months ago. You'll notice how you've changed, and you may also discover that "I can answer now the question I couldn't answer back then."

The key to reflection is not to criticize your past self. Instead of regretting "why did I answer like that?", accept it as "so that's how I thought back then." Your past self was doing the best they could at the time. With that in mind, check how your present self has changed. That's the essence of reflection.