- Shezel Spencer
5 Things To Reflect On At The End Of Each Day
Hello and Happy Monday to you all! Today I would love to share with you guys some of the reasons as to why I think everyone should be taking the time to stop and reflect on the type of day they've had by the end of it. Some of you may already be reflecting without even really realizing it, whether you back track and go over your day in your head when you finally hit your bed. Or even for those of you who are like me and like to journal/write about the day you have had and all of your feelings about it. I think that taking, or better yet making the time to say hey let me rewind and really evaluate the type of day that I've had is greatly beneficial to all of our growth and overall well being. To be able to analyze the things you did well, and the things that you could improve on is such a good and fair act of self acceptance and love. I know this may sound corny to some of you, but that's okay because it works. It helps us recognize areas in which we can expand. And isn't it better to hear it from ourselves rather than others... like a boss, friend, colleague or family member for example. I am all about loving myself which also means and includes admitting to myself the areas in which I feel I can improve in my own life. Whether big or small, with enough self guidance and assurance I truly do believe that a simple reflection at the end of the day can and will make us better, not only for the next day, but also in the long run. Because quite frankly, with the level of maturity that I am at right now I believe that we all do and will continue to make mistakes, or even let others and ourselves down from time and time again. And to me that is completely okay! Because we are all human, and adulting is not an easy task. But if we are able to have some compassion, some understanding, some acceptance for ourselves AND for others then maybe we will be able to try our best to be our best. Just like anything, personal growth takes work. I am so eager to grow and learn and open myself up to new things and people these days, which is more than I ever was in my past life. And I think that is because I have done the work to get me here. I am continuing to do the work each and every day. I do not claim to be perfect, but I do claim to love myself enough to know that I deserve eternal happiness. And so if that means that at the end of each day I should take the time to reflect on how I did, and how I was, and how I felt in the past 24 hours then I am more than willing to do just that. Listen we each have this precious life and time here on Earth for just this once, so let us see the beauty in trying to make and BE the most of ourselves.
1. How did I treat myself today?
I don't think that we answer this question enough. I don't even think that we are aware that this is even some thing to be aware of throughout the day. Whether you do these reflections in your head or in writing as I like to, think about how you really made yourself feel today and how you maybe could do better for tomorrow, and the next day after that. For example, how did you treat yourself when you walked in to work/class late this morning. Did you continuously put yourself down in your head, for feeling embarrassed and ashamed. Or did you let yourself know that running late is not the end of the world and that you don't have to beat yourself up over it, especially if you know it does not happen often. Really though? Think and/or write down how you spoke to yourself today, either when obstacles arose, or when someone went against you, or even when you received compliments. How did you treat yourself? How did you ensure that you were good and in control? How did you let things affect you, or not affect you? This will allow you to really draw in to what is going on with the you on the inside, the real you.
2. How did I treat others today?
And so naturally we move on to this second reflection question. Because the way you treat others is a a reflection of the way you feel about yourself... most of the time. So think, how did you treat and talk to others today. This one is pretty straight forward. But remember as I mentioned earlier, we are all human beings who will undoubtedly all say the wrong thing at times or behave out of character at one point or another and I am completely accepting of that. But in terms of our every day, routine lives I am sure that we are all pretty okay, and decent human beings lol. Better yet, we are all extraordinary human beings! Or at least have the potential to be. We can smile at each other, we can acknowledge one another, we can even communicate in a healthy, loving, and genuine way. If we want to. And when you meet people who can do this, who can be kind and treat others with this great respect and consideration, then that is how you know they too have or are doing the work. With me I sense a vibe. I can sense and feel when people truly, genuinely want to speak with me or do something with me, who want to treat me as well as they would like to treat themselves. And then I also feel the vibe of those who are the complete opposite. Right away, this to me screams insecurities, self doubt and even envy at times. Of course it is not up to us to force these types of people in to or out of anything that they have going on. But I do believe that we can control how we decide to treat people, whether it be a family member, stranger or friend it doesn't matter. So at the end of each day really be on this and ask yourself how did I treat people, and most importantly WHY did I treat them like that. Was it out of jealousy, anger, our own self esteem issues, which we all do experience and have at some point in our lives. But it is up to us to do the work and figure out why we treat people the way we do and how we can improve, or continue to do well.
3. What is one thing I could improve on from today?
Simple. Think about anything. Whether it is something pertaining to work, school, your family/personal life, just try and think about one thing you did in your day that you could improve on and become better at. For me, I definitely answer this question a lot with nursing school as I continue to learn and try to become my best version of an RN. But I also answer this question as a mother or even a wife, or even on a more personal, personality trait type of level. Whatever you come up with just know that there is always room for improvement in life, and that does not have to mean that you are awful or even bad at something. All it means is that you are once again putting in the work to reach your own individual goals.
4. What is one thing I did well today and should continue to do every day?
Reflections are also about acknowledging the good things about yourself and your day as well. By recognizing the things that are going right and well with ourselves, that ultimately allows us to reach and swim in that blissful state of knowing what is serving us. What is making us feel good. Always praise and affirm yourself when you know that you have done good by yourself, by others, and by this world. For me this can be something as simple as smiling with every person I encounter throughout the day, and to continue to do this even when I may not feel like it. Because I know that this truly makes me feel good about my place in this world and in my own being, and it most often makes others feel good about themselves as well. It could also be something like, ensuring that you eat a good breakfast to start out your day. Or, one that is super big for my husband, ensuring that we always make our bed, which I have learned really sets the tone for the type of day you set out to have. Eventually you will pile a lot of feel good, do good things on to this list and they will in turn become healthy habits.
5. How did I fuel my body today?
I know that this one may seem a little bit out of the box, but I promise you that it's not. I truly do believe that our every day eating habits can either make or break us. Now I am not saying that we should all eat super healthy every single day and become vegans. But what I am saying is that the foods we choose to eat can either fuel our bodies with the energy that we need to last us throughout the day, or it can do the opposite and drain us of it. For example, sugar as we all know, is not good for us especially if it is being incorporated in to each one of our meals in some way. Try to reflect on how you are eating throughout the day and also again ask yourself, why? Are you really even hungry when you eat? Are you an over eater, an emotional eater, a social eater? Are you mindful of what you are eating and how it is making you feel? Did you contribute toward your health today, or take away from it? No not every day or even every meal is going to be the same and completely balanced. But I think that making the healthier choice most often does benefit our overall mood, energy level, wellbeing and state of health in the short and long run. Having the awareness that food really is our body's main source of energy might allow us to make better decisions that will contribute to our wellness and longevity. Plus, there is a lot of research that suggest that our gut is our second brain, so that alone should tell us enough.
Well, thank you so much for joining me here on the blog and for taking the time to hear me out. I do this because I am so captivated by the idea that we all hold the potential to be at our greatest in life. And also of course because I love to write and share as much as I can for as long as I can! I hope you can see the true benefits in reflecting upon your days, knowing that its worth so much more than scrolling endlessly on Instagram or Facebook. You're worth so much more than that! The brain begs and pleads for meaningful stimulation, and reading, and using of its parts! So please try to remember this the next time your in your bed about to scroll just before calling it a night. Pull up this blog post and that super cute journal that you will undoubtedly find at Indigo, and give it a try. I think that your brain and every other part of you will definitely love it!
Thanks for the time,
S.S.