87 Self-Reflection Questions For Introspection

Do you think about your thoughts?

Do you ever take the time to reflect on your values during times of uncertainty or doubt?

If “yes”, you’re not a stranger to self-reflection or introspection. These are important psychological exercises that can help you learn, grow and develop your mind.

Continue reading if you are interested in learning more about the importance of self-reflection.

Before we go on, we thought you’d like to get our Self-Compassion Trainings free of charge. These exercises are science-based and will increase compassion in your own life. They will also help students, employees, and clients show more compassion.

What is Introspection? Definition

Both informal and formal reflections can be used to introspection. The two approaches have their own definitions. However, anyone can use both with curiosity or determination.

An informal reflection is a process of looking at one’s inner thoughts and feelings, and then reflecting on their meaning. It can focus on the present mental experience, or past mental experiences.

Formal experimental techniques are a more objective and standardized version of this. In them, people learn to analyze their thoughts carefully in an attempt to be as objective as possible.

Wilhelm Wundt developed the idea of introspection in late 1800s (McLeod (2008) Wundt was interested in three aspects of mental functioning: thoughts and images as well as feelings. Wundt’s research eventually led to current research on perception and the creation of cognitive psychology.

What’s the importance of introspection?

Introspection is therefore important.

Researchers found that more than 50,000 thoughts are generated each day. More than half of these thoughts are negative, while more than 90% are repeats from the previous day.

You won’t have the opportunity to learn and grow if your mind isn’t refocused on the positive by introspection.

We can improve our understanding of ourselves and our motivations as well as our self-regard and values to help us gain control over our busy lives.

It is important to do it correctly

Though reflecting on oneself and our surroundings is an adaptive and healthy practice, there is no wrong way.

If your introspection becomes a obsession and a devotion, it is too much. Many people who over-examine their self-reflection can become more anxious, stressed, and depressed.

It is easy to believe that we have some profound insight, but this can be a mistake. Remarkably, we are capable of rationally explaining the irrational actions we engage in.

If you want to keep your self-reflection on track, it is a good idea to ask more “what,” rather than “why” questions. While asking “Why” questions can make us feel naive and irritated, “what questions” will keep us open-minded and curious about the future.

Let’s keep this in mind as we move onto the worksheets, questions, and exercises that can be used to help you self-reflect.

70 Self-Reflective Questions You Can Ask Yourself

To take a break from self-reflection, there are many prompts and questions that can be used. You can ask, answer, and address some of these every day. Others are best for occasional self-reflection.

To get ideas for questions that are introspective, take a look at the three following lists. You can transform your feelings of insecurity into a sense of self-understanding.

These questions can be used to help you get started on self-reflection.
Are you maximizing your time?
– Is it possible to take everything for granted?
Are you able to see the big picture?
Do I live up to my potential?
Is it possible to wake up every morning and be ready for the day ahead?
– Do I have negative thoughts that lead to falling asleep?
Are my relationships thriving?
– How do I take care my physical well-being?
– Do I let things outside my control stress and strain me?
What are my goals?

These 30 questions can be asked of yourself each day to learn more about yourself.
– Who are you, really?
What is my greatest worry about the Future?
What would you do if this was the last day of your life?
– What are my real fears?
Are you holding onto something that I don’t need?
– If you don’t have the time now, when will?
What is the most important thing about my life?
What are my priorities in life?
– Why do I matter?
– Is there anything you can remember from the past few days?
– Did I make someone smile today?
– What am I giving up?
What was my last attempt to push the boundaries?
– Which advice would you give to a newborn?
– I won’t forget the kindness I showed once.
– How will my life be if I know I’m going to die?
– What can I do to improve my self-image?
– Which is more important, love or being loved?
– How many friends of mine would you trust with your life?
What has been your greatest influence on your life?
– Should I go against the law to help a friend?
– Would you steal to feed an orphan child?
What is the most important thing in my life?
– What does life ask of me?
Which is more damaging: Failure or Never Trying?
– What if I attempt to fail but succeed?
– What would you like other people to remember about your life at the very end?
Is it really important what other people think of me?
– How do I really control my life’s course?
– Is there anything I will have said or done more than I did?

The following 30 prompts or questions can be used to help you use your journal.
– This is how I spend my days. . .
– I wish I could speak to my teenage self. . .
– I won’t forget these two moments in my whole life. . . (Describe them in detail. What makes them so special.
List 30 things that make YOU smile.
– “Write about something you’ve experienced through the body. You can make love, have breakfast, go to a party, fight, or any other experience that you have. Don’t think and feel. All information should be transmitted through the body, your senses and your emotions.
– These are my words of inspiration. . .
– Without you, I can’t imagine my life. . .
– I do my best to help myself when I’m suffering from pain, physical or emotional. . .
– Make a list and trust the people who truly support you. Spend some time getting to know them.
What does unconditional Love look like to you?
– What are some things you would do if unconditional love were your only way to love yourself? These are things you could do.
– This is something I wish people would know about me. . .
Describe what you consider sufficient.
– My body would talk if it could. . .
– Name an example of how you’ve shown compassion to someone you know recently. Write down your own suggestions for doing the same.
– What are you most passionate about?
– What brings you tears? Paulo Coelho says, “Tears represent words that need writing.”
Write about a moment when your work felt real, needed, and satisfying. This could be paid or unpaid, domestic or professional.
– Write about your initial love. It can be someone, a place, or something.
Describe yourself using 10 words
– What have you found most surprising about your own life or the world in general?
What can be learned from your greatest mistakes?
– When I do this, I feel the most energetic. . .
– “Write your list of urgent questions.”
– Make a list all the things that inspire you.
Which topic is most important to you in order to live a fulfilled life? (Then, continue to explore the topic.
– I feel my best when I’m under my skin. . .
– Make an inventory of all the things you don’t want to do.
– Make an inventory of all things you would like to say yes.
Write the words that you want to hear.

10 Self-Reflection Activities, Techniques, and Exercises for Students and Adults

You can also use the questions and prompts to help you self-reflect.

Here are five self examination exercises (Bates and 2012) that can help you get started in self-reflection. They are easy to perform and can be used to help you get started with self-reflection.

1. Self-Examination
You might be able to assess whether you are inclined to diagnose or analyze people’s problems without their permission.

We often want to share information that helps us understand the world. Sometimes, this information can feel a little strange when it isn’t asked for and given to someone else.
They might feel as if you are telling their wrong things, even though they might not be agreeing with your opinion.

Keep in mind that the information must be requested and not given to you (Bates, 2012).

Self-Examination 2:
If you are a person who is often frustrated by the actions of others, this exercise can be a great one. You might also find it difficult to think of ways you can address the person who upsets your feelings.

This will not only burn you out of energy, but can also cause unintended damage to the person you are upset about. Talking with someone who is clearly focusing on the bad can make you unhappy.

The issue you are facing is usually not causing you to be unhappy. Although it is a small issue that requires attention, it can be much larger and more prevalent to the person with whom you plan to talk about it.

You need to remember that the problem you are having, regardless of how important or valid it may be, does not reflect all your feelings. You must remember that the person you love doesn’t want you to make you unhappy.

You must keep your eyes on what the whole picture is when you raise issues. Otherwise you could end up with a smaller problem than you intended (Bates, 2012).

Exercise 3: Self-Examination
Are you someone who interrupts people often or thinks of stories to tell others while they talk? The answer to this question is likely yes, if you are like many social media users.

We need to be open to sharing a little of ourselves in order to connect with others. You can get distracted if your only goal is to share your stories.

We can lose ourselves in our drive to please, entertain, and relate. This decreases our ability and engagement to listen. Even though we try our hardest to be good listeners all our lives, we often lose sight of the importance of empathizing with and identifying the person we are speaking to.

Take a deep breath and listen next time you have a conversation. It’s not important to try and identify with their story.

It’s rewarding to soak up the words of another person (Bates (2012)).

Exercise 4: Self-Examination
Sometimes we find that we are able to feel at ease when doing good work. Then we start talking about it with others. It can be great because it allows you to acknowledge your goodness and to own your actions.

Think about how you’d feel if you only knew the good stuff. If you have done something wonderful recently, consider keeping it to yourself.

A person who is positive and loving doesn’t have to tell anybody. The truth comes from all angles of their being. Keep some knowledge as a gift for yourself (Bates 2012).

Exercise 5: Self-Examination
This exercise requires you to only do one thing: Think about what you don’t understand.

It is easy to get stuck in our own skin and worldviews, which can lead to losing the ability to see the world through a different lens. It’s easy to understand things from our perspective.

Everything works out.

We want to remind you of two facts.

It is impossible to read minds or predict the future. Only one moment can exist at a given time. You are always changing.

Be open to the possibility that others may know you and your life better than you do. You might be surprised at what you discover.

You might feel different about something you think is fixed. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
T know should be considered a source of comfort and not a cause for concern, as it implies that everything is possible (Bates 2012).

These self-examination exercises will get you on your feet.

Positive statements

Affirmations can be a great way to get your thoughts out of your head and help you see the bigger picture. Affirmations are positive statements or phrases that challenge negative thoughts.

Write at most 50 affirmations. They should address your goals and help you to improve your life.

These instructions will help you compose and practice your affirmations.
– Write affirmations using the present tense. Make sure you include the word “I” in all affirmations.
Focus on what is happening right now to ensure your success in the future. Although you may feel negative thoughts, try your best not to dwell on them and instead focus on the positive.
To help your mind become more positive, repeat your affirmations aloud.

These steps can help open your eyes to the positive and lead to a better future.

Exercise for the subconscious mind

This exercise will allow you to dive deep into your subconscious. You don’t have to be afraid!

Your subconscious mind contains your self image. Your subconscious mind stores all of your beliefs, attitudes, values, and experiences. These are the things that drive your behavior and form your core identity.

This is something we don’t do enough of. It’s important to take the time to examine your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, values, and behaviors. Although it may take some time to discover your core beliefs, it is worth it.

You will be able to gain more self-awareness by reflecting on the core of your being. It’s similar to meditation. This will allow you to reach a higher consciousness.

For this exercise, create a visual representation of the data. This could be anything from a graph to a chart, depending on the information.

This exercise gives you the chance to express your creativity.

To store and showcase who you really are and your future goals, create a box or vision board. Your box or vision board can be decorated however you like. Whatever you find most represents you and your values.

Your board or box can be filled with pictures, words, drawings and poems. You can include more details, the better.

You will see a visual representation that represents you and the things you love. You can refer back to the box/board when you have a dilemma, or are trying to decide what the best course is of action.

This exercise will allow you to unleash your imagination.

Questions about You
While this exercise may seem simple, it is not difficult. Ask yourself questions.

Ask yourself questions. Write down your questions and then answer them. Ask yourself questions about your future, present, past, and current. Write positive, insightful, motivational answers.

Do not be concerned about getting the right answers. There is no right answer and they will change. You can be as creative with your answers and questions as you like, since nobody else has to read or answer them.

Your questions should be structured to include information about your hopes, dreams, and goals. You have more chance to do some self-reflection if you are more specific in your questions and answers (Holothink, N.D.).

Write and reflect
Journaling has many benefits and can be used for reflection in many ways.

This exercise can be done in a notebook, journal, or diary with lots of pages.

Keep a journal and write three things each day.
– Try to think of at least one positive thing you have done today.
– A question to yourself (you could use one of our questions from the last exercise, one from the lists, or something completely different), but don’t answer it yet.
– Reflection and answer to the question you have asked yourself the day before.

You will only write the first two parts on the first morning, but you’ll be writing three every day.

4 Self Reflection Worksheets.

Here are some worksheets that will help you get started introspection.

A Sheet to Increase Self-Awareness
This worksheet contains a wealth of ideas and exercises to help you reflect on yourself.

This worksheet is meant to help people understand the following:
– Your convictions and principles
– What are you most proud of?
– What motivates and inspires you?
– Your emotions are your own
– Your thinking habits;
– Your tendency to react to situations.
You can have the life you desire.

This worksheet has many sections. Each section contains its own set or prompts.
1. Capabilities
What are your most valuable talents and skills?
– Which of the talents or skills you feel most proud or satisfied?

2. Traits/Qualities
– Which are your top five strengths?
– What are your top two weaknesses?
– What are the qualities and traits you admire most in others?

3. Principles
What are the ten most important things to you?
– Which three are your most important?
– What values are most important to you?

4. The way one interprets or understands something.
– How does the “public YOU” differ from the “private YOU”?
– What do people think of you?
– Which is more important, being liked by others or being yourself? Why?

5. Accomplishments
What are the three most important things in your life that you are proudest of?
– What is your dream life?
– What would you do if you had one goal before your death?

6. Consideration

Original: Perseverance
Paraphrased: Endurance
– What do you consider to be your symbol (e.g. song, animal or flower, symbol, jewelry, symbol, etc.) Why?
– Which three aspects of yourself do you want to change the most?
– List three of your strengths.

7. End the sentence
You will find several prompts in the last section.
I try to be the best. . .
– I struggle to keep my eyes open when I. . .
– I feel at ease when . .
– Stress is a feeling I get when I do not have to. . .
– When I’m courageous, I do it. . .
– One of my most valuable lessons was. . .
I was unable to seize a fantastic opportunity that came up when. . .
– One memory that I treasure is. . .
– I make the most difficult decisions when it comes to. . .
It is difficult to be yourself because. . .
– I can be me when I want. . .
– I wish that I could do more. . .
– I wish i could. . .
– I wish that I could be more consistent. . .
– I wish i had. . .
I wish that I had. . .
– I wish I felt . . .
I wish that I could see. . .
– I wish that I had thought. . .
– What should life be all about? . .
– My life is about me. . .

You should gain a lot more insight into yourself and your priorities once you have completed this worksheet. Your answers can help you decide which goals you would like, what to do next, and what to do.

This worksheet can be viewed, ed, and printed by you.

1. Persona
Before you proceed to the empathy map, create a “persona”, or a clear representation of yourself, your ideal self, as well as your “ought”self (Kos).

You will need to analyze your personality and how you would like to present it to others.

The following questions will help you to define your important selves.
– What is it that you want to do? Who was/is like this in your life?
– Which person would you most be proud to be if they were me? Why?
What is my relationship with my ideal, best, and true self in relation to certain situations?
Are I trying to be someone I’m not?
– Do I expect others to be a certain way of being?

These questions will help you to get a sense of who you are, what you want, and what you should be. Once you are done with the preparation, it is time to create an empathy chart.

Tool 2: Empathy map
An empathy mapping can be useful in helping you to engage in an informative and valuable process of self-reflection. You don’t have to worry, everyone has a disconnect between the things we say and the actions we take.

This exercise will help to identify your disconnections and the best ways to fix them.

You can create an empathy map by simply drawing four quadrants across a piece if paper. Each quadrant represents something different about you.
– Seeing;
– Doing;
– Thinking;
– Feeling.

Next, think of a situation where you feel strongly, such a fight between your spouse or partner.
Each quadrant should contain the relevant aspects.

This is an example of what you might write for a fight scenario.
– Seeing: What was your experience with the situation?
– Doing: Which actions and behaviors have you done? What behavioral patterns can you identify?
– Thinking: How did you think about that situation? This tells you a lot about your beliefs.
– Feelings: Which emotions did you feel? Why? What past situations do they most remind of?

A fifth section can be created on the backside. This is where you will record your thoughts and ideas based upon your empathy map.

These questions will help you to self-reflect while you work on your map.
What are your hopes and fears in relation to the current situation? What are you afraid of? What are you hoping for? What are your hopes?
– In what setting did you find yourself in this situation? What are your memories of the environment? What made you feel at home in this environment? What were your eyes focused on?
– Which situation is most distressing?
– What feedback have you received from others or your environment?
– What positive aspects can you find in this situation? How can you gain insight about yourself and others from such a situation?

Answering these questions should not lead to cognitive distortions. Deepen your feelings and discover why. Be open to observation, but not judgment (Kos n.d.

Tool 3: Life Satisfaction Table
It is an excellent way to gauge how well your life satisfaction charts are helping you reach your goals. This chart can be used to monitor your progress towards your goals, and to identify areas that need to be improved, decreased, or eliminated.

Use a horizontal scale to indicate your satisfaction level, then list the ten most important areas of your life vertically.
– You;
– Health;
– Relationships;
– Money;
– Career;
– Emotions;
– Competencies;
– Fun;
– Spirituality;
– Technology.

The scale will help you assess your satisfaction with each of these 10 areas.

Next, look closely at the areas that you are not satisfied with (where you gave a rating of 4-7). If you don’t know if you are satisfied in a particular area, it can be difficult to reflect.

These “somewhat satisfied” areas can be re-read and rated again. But, only give ratings between 1 to 3 and 8 and 10. You can make a more definitive judgment about your satisfaction by limiting your choices to “very satisfied” and “not very satisfied”.

Each section rated as 1, 2, or 3, should be highlighted with red. Every section rated as 8, 9, or 10, should be highlighted with green. Ask yourself this question for each of the ten areas. What could you do to improve your rating?

This exercise can be repeated as many times as you like to keep track of how satisfied you are with your life (Kos n.d.).