What is a Reflective Journal? Why is it important?

A reflective journal enhances self-awareness and self-knowledge, both of which are important to help you understand yourself and how you interact with others. It can help you make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and improve your overall well-being. Undertaken effectively you can start to gain more control over your e-motions, behaviours, decisions and life-direction.

“Every man carries two bags about with him, one in front and one behind, and both are full of faults. The bag in front contains his neighbours' faults, the one behind his own. Hence it is that men do not see their own faults but never fail to see those of others.”-Aesop

"The unexamined life is not worth living" -Socrates. 

Aesop’s quote reflects how self-knowledge is naturally difficult to gain, for our worst character defects, our biases and unhelpful habits are all clearly visible to others, but we have a blind spot to them ourselves. Blindness to our own errors presents a serious challenge, especially for anyone concerned in self-improvement and achieving a greater sense of well-being. Socrates quote means that a life without self-reflection and critical examination of one's beliefs and actions is not a meaningful life. It is often interpreted as a call to actively contemplate one's choices and values.

Below are some tips for Reflective Journalling & enhancing self-awareness

• Reflect on your current state-What feelings, emotions, thoughts are you experiencing in this moment, and why?
• Reflect on something that has evoked strong emotions in recent times-Describing what the situation was, how you behaved, and what sort of thoughts and feelings you had then and now.
• Reflect and explore your values and beliefs-Why are they are important to you? Currently, how well are you living by these? What small steps and actions can you take to become more aligned with your chosen values?
• What are your hopes, dream and goals by life domain- For greater clarity you can break it down in terms of timescales. What are they 6 months now? What are they 1 year from now? What are they 2 years from now? What are they 5 & 10 years from now?
• What are your fears and worries? What are you fearful of and why? Do you worry about things? If so, what do you worry about? Are your fears and worries rational or irrational? Where might they come from?

For deeper reflection referring to a feelings wheel can enhance self-awareness-https://feelingswheel.com/

This link provides list of examples of values by life domain-https://drive.google.com/file/d/11PpJ6exnsp2nK3dY9-D_F1nKmZX4Dljx/view?usp=sharing

“If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favourable”- Seneca.