Self-introspection: good for the soul
Michelline Nawatises
Do you also feel exhausted or is it just me? Because yoh this end year blues are coming at me hard. This year has taken us all for a hefty deurmekaar ride and had a mental toll on me and I am aware that it is not just me nodding to this in agreement. Many of us had so many plans and goals to achieve this year which ended in tears or rather remained stagnant thus far.
What not planning efficiently has taught me in simple terms are ‘as jy nie gereeld self ondersoek doen nie, gaan dit een of ander tyd met jou opvang, wil of nie! Which translates as: If you don’t self-introspect now and then, it will catch up with you at some point, want it or not.But now I know better, all thanks to 2020. I can’t stress enough the importance of ‘constant self-reflection’, which is one of the most important lessons I have learnt for this year.
Before I head right into I will touch on the importance of self-introspection which I will first break it down with a definition: it is a means to observe and analyze oneself in order to grow as a person. This has a lot of benefits such as improved relationships – this could be either in your workspace or how you deal with people as well as improved decision making which will improve along the line of constant introspection.
We, humans, tend to respond in many ways to different situations. Under stress, our behaviour and reactions are beyond our control. That’s why often we tend to lash out at a relative or close friend. What self-reflection does is provide a platform of perception and helps you look back at the situation which was at hand with a new pair of eyes.
Self-reflection is an exercise that needs to be conducted now and then to study every aspect of our life and you can do this by simply journaling, walking or meditating or whatever floats your boat. When I do introspection I think of it on the ‘problem and solution’ basis so I first lay in bed, think about random situations which I have encountered and then I try to think of ways on how I can deal with it next time when I'm faced in a similar situation.
By doing this more often you will see the importance of self-reflection as it prepares you to be aware of your thoughts and emotions. Usually when we are in a stressful situation what matters most to us at that very moment is how ‘good’ we think are handling the situation. We often tend to blurt out or do things first without thinking about the consequences or rather the aftermath it holds. I think we need to start living off by the quote of Bishop T.D. Jakes, which says, “Never make a permanent decision about a temporary situation.” I don’t think we understand the damage this.
It is irresponsible of us to constantly do things based on our temporary situation. We are currently facing a social evil which is invisibly walking in the streets of our country and this is just an example of the many; of course, in the sense of the perpetrators – The incidents could have been avoided if they had their head in the game and if they didn’t allow their emotions and feelings to take the better of them. Mental health is the most important aspect that plays a huge role – if we are not mentally healthy then we tend to nonsense! So, before we all start the ‘healthy journey’ of self-introspection, reflection and all those expensive English words, let us pay attention to our mental health first.
What we need to hammer in our heads is: to work on your mental health does not only start when you make an appointment with a psychologist etc, it begins with the little things such as ‘what are the little things that cause you to snap’.
We’re in the last stretch of 2020 and I’m convinced we all feel overwhelmed and burnt out which is normal as this year has been daunting. I would like to urge you not to fall in the end-of-year-fatigue trap. Just keep on taking care of yourself like you should. Happy festive season remember to drink responsibly and drive safely! May 2021 bring us nothing else but happy moments.
Do you also feel exhausted or is it just me? Because yoh this end year blues are coming at me hard. This year has taken us all for a hefty deurmekaar ride and had a mental toll on me and I am aware that it is not just me nodding to this in agreement. Many of us had so many plans and goals to achieve this year which ended in tears or rather remained stagnant thus far.
What not planning efficiently has taught me in simple terms are ‘as jy nie gereeld self ondersoek doen nie, gaan dit een of ander tyd met jou opvang, wil of nie! Which translates as: If you don’t self-introspect now and then, it will catch up with you at some point, want it or not.But now I know better, all thanks to 2020. I can’t stress enough the importance of ‘constant self-reflection’, which is one of the most important lessons I have learnt for this year.
Before I head right into I will touch on the importance of self-introspection which I will first break it down with a definition: it is a means to observe and analyze oneself in order to grow as a person. This has a lot of benefits such as improved relationships – this could be either in your workspace or how you deal with people as well as improved decision making which will improve along the line of constant introspection.
We, humans, tend to respond in many ways to different situations. Under stress, our behaviour and reactions are beyond our control. That’s why often we tend to lash out at a relative or close friend. What self-reflection does is provide a platform of perception and helps you look back at the situation which was at hand with a new pair of eyes.
Self-reflection is an exercise that needs to be conducted now and then to study every aspect of our life and you can do this by simply journaling, walking or meditating or whatever floats your boat. When I do introspection I think of it on the ‘problem and solution’ basis so I first lay in bed, think about random situations which I have encountered and then I try to think of ways on how I can deal with it next time when I'm faced in a similar situation.
By doing this more often you will see the importance of self-reflection as it prepares you to be aware of your thoughts and emotions. Usually when we are in a stressful situation what matters most to us at that very moment is how ‘good’ we think are handling the situation. We often tend to blurt out or do things first without thinking about the consequences or rather the aftermath it holds. I think we need to start living off by the quote of Bishop T.D. Jakes, which says, “Never make a permanent decision about a temporary situation.” I don’t think we understand the damage this.
It is irresponsible of us to constantly do things based on our temporary situation. We are currently facing a social evil which is invisibly walking in the streets of our country and this is just an example of the many; of course, in the sense of the perpetrators – The incidents could have been avoided if they had their head in the game and if they didn’t allow their emotions and feelings to take the better of them. Mental health is the most important aspect that plays a huge role – if we are not mentally healthy then we tend to nonsense! So, before we all start the ‘healthy journey’ of self-introspection, reflection and all those expensive English words, let us pay attention to our mental health first.
What we need to hammer in our heads is: to work on your mental health does not only start when you make an appointment with a psychologist etc, it begins with the little things such as ‘what are the little things that cause you to snap’.
We’re in the last stretch of 2020 and I’m convinced we all feel overwhelmed and burnt out which is normal as this year has been daunting. I would like to urge you not to fall in the end-of-year-fatigue trap. Just keep on taking care of yourself like you should. Happy festive season remember to drink responsibly and drive safely! May 2021 bring us nothing else but happy moments.
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