100 Most Powerful Self-Reflection Questions To Truly Know Yourself
Self-reflection questions that will get you thinking and start thriving
Have you been wanting to get to understand yourself better, so that you can move forward in life? Do you spend time reflecting on your values and question where they come from?
Self-reflection questions can help you better understand yourself as an individual. A research study based in the UK showed that commuters, who were designated to think about their plans for the day during their commute, were actually happier compared to those who didn’t.
Believe it or not, the majority of people, even top-ranking leaders, don’t take time to reflect on themselves. In a hustle-and-bustle working environment, many of us rarely stop to think about well… ourselves.
Why is that? There are two main reasons. We don’t really know what to reflect on and the process of self-reflection can lead to uncomfortable emotions like vulnerability, emotional pain, and defensiveness.
Trust me, self-reflection isn’t an easy process, but it’s very much worth it. The more you learn about yourself, the more you grow from your experiences.
In this post, I’ll be sharing 100 reflection questions you can either ponder about or write in response to. So keep reading on!
What is self-reflection?
**This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.
Self-reflection is defined as the intention of thinking about your own thoughts and behaviors.
It’s pretty straight-forward, but self-reflection is merely reflecting upon yourself.
Self-reflection is harmless and has many benefits to offer you. Here are just some of the many benefits: you’ll become more self-aware, increase your self-confidence, work more effectively towards your goals, transform your perspectives, and discover more of your true self.
The importance of self-reflection questions
The intention behind self-reflection is to understand the thoughts that pop up in our minds whether on the daily or literally every 5 minutes.
If you’ve ever had intrusive, prevailing thoughts (which we all have at some point, lol), it’s important to look into why they keep appearing. Otherwise, if we allow our thoughts to spiral, we might feel more overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious.
Self-reflection allows us to take a step back and reflect (without judgment) on the thoughts we’re having. Why this particular thought? What thoughts are holding you back? What thoughts do you need to let go of?
That’s why questions that you can reflect upon are essential to helping you understand your thoughts, which ultimately help YOU grow as an individual.
How to get started with your self-reflection questions
1. Invest in a self-reflection journal
I would highly recommend looking into a journal that has self-reflection questions to guide you. Featured on the “Best Guided Journals” list, this beautiful self-reflection journal is perfect for you, if you’re starting out on this journey.
It’s filled with 365 journal prompts, one for everyday that you can do in the mornings before work or before you head to bed.
2. Practice mindfulness
When you’re just practicing learning how to self-reflect (trust me, it’s a skill), mindfulness and being aware of your thoughts are essential.
Mindfulness is the practice of becoming aware of your thoughts and emotions without judging them. I’ll give an example of how I practice mindfulness.
When I’m feeling stressed and I don’t know what I’m stressed about, I try to ‘sit’ with that emotion. I tell myself, Okay, I’m feeling stressed right now. Hmm… why am I feeling stressed.
Notice how I’m not judging myself for being stressed. I’m simply stating how I feel and try to lean into that emotion even further by reflecting on why I’m feeling this way.
This is a moment of mindfulness. Once I become aware of the emotion, I either journal about it to unravel my thoughts more or I just try to sit with it and tell myself, It’s okay to feel this way.
So go ahead and give mindfulness a try! 🙂
3. Give yourself self-compassion
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, ya’ll know I’m a huge advocate for self-compassion.
I truly believe that self-compassion can really change us inside-and-out. It changes the narrative of how we typically respond to ourselves when we make a mistake, get rejected, feel ashamed, or yell at someone.
When you’re practicing self-reflection, there might be certain emotions that come up – some emotions that may feel too uncomfortable, painful, or even shameful.
In those moments, I highly encourage to give yourself compassion.
You can use this script: This hurts. A lot of people would feel this way in this situation. May I be kind to myself in this moment.
I find that self-compassion allows us to embrace our emotions as they are and speak to them with kindness, instead of rejecting how we truly feel.
100 Self-Reflection Questions
- Your Past
- Your Present
- Your Future
- Growth
- Mental Health
- Relationships
- Work/Career
Self-reflection questions for your past
1. What’s your favorite childhood memory? Why was it?
2. What struggles did you have to face as a child?
3. How did you overcome your struggles growing up?
4. What did you spend most of your time doing as a kid?
5. What was your relationship like with your parents?
6. When was a moment you felt genuine joy? Write about in detail.
7. What was your proudest accomplishment? Why?
8. If you could talk to your younger self, what would you say?
9. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
10. What did you want to be growing up?
11. Who were you closest to in your childhood?
12. What was the scariest thing you’ve ever done?
13. What was your favorite place to visit as a child?
14. What is your earliest ever memory?
Self-reflection questions for your present
15. How do you feel about your life at the moment?
16. What have you been most grateful for lately?
17. What do you do for fun currently?
18. Are you comfortable in your own skin?
19. Who are the closest people to you in your life right now?
20. What have been your current biggest lessons you’ve learned?
21. How do you feel about your current job?
22. What is something you did recently that you’re proud of?
23. What’s your top priority in life right now?
24. What challenges are you facing at the moment?
25. What is your go-to when you’re feeling anxious and stressed?
26. What areas of your life do you feel like you’re content in?
27. What areas of your life would you want to improve in?
28. How are your relationships right now?
29. Do you worry too much about what others think?
30. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Self-reflection questions for your future
31. What’s one thing you would like to improve on?
32. Where do you want your life to be 5 years from now?
33. What kind of financial habits do I want to develop?
34. What are 3 things on your bucket list that you want to achieve?
35. If money wasn’t an object, what would you want to be or do?
36. If fear didn’t exist, what would you want to do?
37. What’s something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t yet?
38. What do you want people to say about you at your funeral?
39. What impact do you want to leave behind with your loved ones?
40. Where have you always wanted to travel to but haven’t yet?
41. How can you live life today to bring yourself one step closer to your ideal future self?
42. What words of encouragement would you give to your future self?
43. What would your dream home look like?
44. What kind of people would you want to surround yourself with?
45. If you only had one more month to live, what would you do?
Self-reflection questions for growth
46. What holds you back from achieving your goals?
47. What limiting beliefs do you need to let go of?
48. What is something you want to work towards?
49. What distractions are hurting your productivity?
50. How can you improve your relationship with yourself?
51. Write down 3 positive things about yourself. Repeat them to yourself.
52. When do you feel most in tune with yourself?
53. What are three things you’re most grateful for?
54. Name a person you admire and write down what you admire about him or her.
55. What are your biggest regrets? Give yourself the gift of forgiveness.
56. If you couldn’t fail, what would you do?
57. What makes you laugh really hard?
58. How do you prefer to de-stress?
59. How is your mental health in this current season of your life?
60. How can you prioritize your health this year?
Self-reflection questions for your mental health
61. How do you feel about the pace of your life? Is it too fast, too slow, or just right?
62. Write in response to this statement: I get anxious when __________.
63. List some of the best decisions you’ve made in your life.
64. What’s something about your body and health that you’re grateful for?
65. Describe a time when you recently experienced self-love.
66. Describe a time you felt especially valued and loved.
67. How have you been feeling lately about yourself?
68. What are the things that make you feel alive and happy?
69. What are 3 things that brought you joy this week?
70. When was the last time you laughed the hardest?
71. What parts of you do you have a hard time accepting?
72. What kind of situations make it hard to feel good about yourself?
73. List out examples of ways in which you people-please. (at work, relationships, friendship, family, etc)
74. Write about a situation when you felt the most alive and entirely able to be yourself.
75. What do you value in your life?
Self-reflection questions for relationships
76. Are you content with your love life right now?
77. How do you feel about your relationships in your life at the moment?
78. Name 3 people that make you feel happy and alive.
79. What are your top 3 dealbreakers?
80. Does your family support you when it comes to your life decisions?
81. Would you say you have a strong support system?
82. What love language do you value the most from a partner?
83. What are the most important qualities you’d like your partner to have?
84. Is there anybody in your life right now that you are finding difficult to forgive?
85. What personal areas could you improve so that you can give your best to your relationship(s)?
86. What is it like for you to be single?
87. What did you learn about romantic relationships in your household growing up?
88. How were you taught to forgive someone who has hurt you?
Self-reflection questions for work/career
89. Do you like your current job? Why or why not?
90. Who do you hope to become in the next year?
91. What would your ideal job look like? Write in detail.
92. What have been the most challenging moments in your work?
93. How can you improve your work habits and routine?
94. What did you dream of becoming when you were a kid? Are you living that dream now?
95. If you want a promotion or salary raise, what can you do everything in your power to get there?
96. How can you improve your productivity while in the office or working at home?
97. Are you satisfied with your work-life balance at the moment?
98. What career milestones do you want to achieve within the next 5 years?
99. What 3 skills, talents, and pursuits would you like to develop in the next 12 months?
100. What is the greatest asset you offer to your workplace?
The last thing to know about self-reflection
Self-reflection is a continuous journey that will continue as we get older. It’s a beautiful one, though, because the older we get, the more we can reflect back on our lives and see whether or not we are becoming the person we want to be.
If you find yourself in a place where you’re not really satisfied with your life circumstances, let me challenge you to do one small action to get to where you want to be.
I hope these 100 self-reflection questions will guide you to learn more about yourself and realize that you are a unique human being that can do awesome things!
Thanks for reading, friends 🙂 What self-reflection resonated the most with you?! Comment down below cause I’d love to know!
Related articles
12 Best Self-Discovery Books To Uncover Your True Self
14 Best Daily Habits To Start To Improve Your Life
47 Amazing Journal Prompts for Self-Growth
