A life on auto-pilot? How to take time to reflect
There’s a wonderful line from the novel Gilead by Marilynne Robinson that captures the power of reflective thought for me: ‘I know more than I know and must learn it from myself.’
Reflection can be a very empowering process. It can help us make sense of our day; to come to decisions, to step away from our habitual ways of doing and thinking to discover new freedoms and opportunities. When we reflect, we are our own teacher, through reflection, we bring consciousness to something we already know (at the unconscious level) and teach ourselves.
Are you missing opportunities?
Consider just how many of us go about our lives on autopilot, in essence half asleep and often unaware of what’s going on inside and around us. There’s a stark consequence to life on autopilot - we risk missing vital opportunities. Opportunities to learn a new skill, to learn from a project, to give a talk, to contribute ideas to an important decision or article, to speak up for ourselves, to support someone in their work etc.
Reflection versus thinking
Where reflection means to think about something, not all thinking is reflecting. Reflective thinking takes practice. It requires us to slow down, to pause and to reduce information input. Our instant and constant access to information encourages us to read and absorb information quickly - it can also make us impatient and leave us wanting more. A bit like junk food, too much of it, is not a good thing and it is important to modify what we take in and how we think about it.
The process of reflection can help us to make sense of our day-to-day experiences, it can help us to move forward, to come to decisions, to create a course of action, to challenge ourselves and to switch off autopilot.
Make reflective thinking a regular practice to enrich your life
It’s important to allocate at least 10-15 minutes for reflection a few times a week in an environment that supports you and away from your desk and computer, and when you’re in a positive state of mind. Are you at your best in the morning or evening?
When is your mind more open, alert? It’s also helpful to capture reflections in writing as our insights and ideas can be fleeting.
As an early bird, my best time to reflect is between 6-7am. I make myself a cup of coffee and sit in my favourite chair looking out into the back garden. I have an A5-notebook that I only use to write down my reflections so that I can read back and see the threads, ideas, tangles I can get into – an overview of how my life is going, developments and how I have moved forward.
Sometimes, when I need to reflect on my work or when I have a bigger decision to make, I take myself on a longer walk in nature - nature after all is my best reflecting space.
Here are a few useful resources to help you in your practice. The Reflection Toolkit – a free resource to download and my blog: A Question for Everyday.
Need a little help to think things through? Get in touch. Email me karen@greenspacecoaching.com or call 07815 591279 to book your free initial coaching conversation while walking in Victoria Park, East London or via phone or video call.