40 Thoughtful Self-Reflection Questions + Printable Prompts

The end of the year is a time spent with family and friends, enjoying holiday festivities. It’s also a great time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and experienced over the last 12 months. After all, self-reflection has been found to enhance focus, decrease stress and even improve physical health.

Introspection is a wonderful technique that provides a sense of peace and helps you uncover deeper meanings behind your everyday experiences, thoughts and interactions. To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of helpful self-reflection questions.

So, whether you’re looking for inspiration for your New Year’s resolution or just want to become more introspective in your everyday life, find a quiet space, grab a cup of coffee or your favorite treat and spend some time reflecting!

As you work your way down the list, take the time to consider each question carefully. Expand on your answers as much as possible — you may learn something new about yourself!

Tips for Self-Reflection

Self-reflection is all about analyzing and understanding your thoughts and behaviors. To develop a heightened awareness of yourself and reap the benefits of introspection, keep these self-reflection tips in mind:

• Be honest with yourself
• Keep track of patterns in your thoughts and actions with a self-reflection journal
• Determine your core values and beliefs
• Forgive yourself when you make mistakes

Self Reflection Circles

Read through the questions below to decide on what areas of your life you’d like to reflect on the most. These printables prompt you to reflect on your attitude and your lifestyle. We also created a blank version so you can write in the topics more important to you!

Self-Reflection Questions About Goals

Let’s start with the most popular topic of the New Year: resolutions. What did you accomplish this year? Did you fall victim to the most common goals, like losing weight or saving more money?

If you’ve struggled with achieving your goals, it can be helpful to consider why you didn’t quite meet the mark. To better understand how to create achievable goals, take a look at the questions below about the goals you’ve set for yourself this past year and the goals you want to meet over the next 12 months.

Questions to reflect on the past:

1. Have I accomplished at least one of the resolutions I made last year?
2. Am I finishing the year with any unfinished projects or work? If yes, why?
3. Last year, did I take the time to plan how I would achieve my goals?
4. How could I have better helped my loved ones accomplish their goals?
5. Did I give myself the time and resources needed to accomplish my goals?

Questions to prepare for the future:

1. How can I measure the progress, timeline and success of my goals this year?
2. How can I create a set of goals that have clear, definable results?
3. Do I have goal deadlines? If yes, are they both realistic and motivating?
4. How will I react if I don’t achieve one of my goals this year?
5. What can I do to motivate myself to accomplish my goals this year?

Self Reflection Snapshot

This prompt is meant to exclusively focus on what topic. Choose the topic you’d like to think more deeply about, and reflect on how it makes you feel, what concerns you about it and what your goals are. Write positive reminders to yourself to stay encouraged!

Self-Reflection Questions About Love

Relationships are one of the most important parts of our lives. In fact, stable romantic partnerships have been linked to improved physical health, including lower blood pressure, better stress management and fewer trips to the doctor.

How have you managed your love life this year? Does it need some improvement or revitalization? Ask yourself these questions to improve the quality of your relationship with a spouse or partner.

Questions to reflect on the past:

1. What did I do to make my partner’s life easier this year?
2. What is something I regretted saying to my partner this year?
3. Did I ask too much of my partner during a difficult period this year?
4. If I never saw my partner again, would I be happy with the last thing I said to them?
5. What is one thing I could have done to be a better partner this year?

Questions to prepare for the future:

1. How can I show more gratitude for my partner’s efforts?
2. Do I still want the same things as my partner?
3. What is one topic I can make an effort to stop arguing about with my partner?
4. Do I need to change the way I think about relationships and love this year?
5. How can I improve the way I communicate with my partner?

Self-Reflection Questions About Growth

We all want to be the best version of ourselves. These questions about personal growth will help you identify areas to focus on in the upcoming year.

Questions to reflect on the past:

1. What is one thing I wish I did this year but didn’t because I was afraid?
2. What is one thing I did this year that I wish I did not do?
3. How have I controlled the direction my life took this year?
4. What have I done to improve my self-confidence this year?
5. What have I done to be kind to myself this year?

Questions to prepare for the future:

1. What am I worried about this coming year?
2. How can I control my self-talk when I experience failure?
3. What do I need to change about the way I think of myself this year?
4. How can I create more self-confidence for myself this year?
5. What can I do to improve the way I communicate with others?

Self Reflection Journal Challenge

This 30-day journal challenge provides questions about goals, love, growth and career so you can spend the month reflecting on different areas of your life.

Self-Reflection Questions About Work

Our jobs take up a significant portion of our lives. With that in mind, are you doing something you enjoy? Is the career path you’ve chosen the right one for you?

If the answer to either of those questions is no, you should think about how you could change that this coming year. These questions may help you decide what course of action is best for you, or if you’re where you need to be.

Questions to reflect on the past:

1. In the past year, did I frequently fall behind on sleep, free time or my personal life as a result of my job?
2. Would I be pleased with the way I performed at work this year if I were my manager?
3. Did I make an effort to maintain a work-life balance consistently this year?
4. Did I reach the career milestones or goals I wanted to this year? If no, why not?
5. Over the past year, did I make every effort to collaborate with and get along with my coworkers?

Questions to prepare for the future:

1. What are three tangible career goals I can set for myself this coming year?
2. If I want a promotion or raise, how can I do everything in my power to deserve it?
3. Am I in the job or on the career path that is truly right for me? If no, why not?
4. What can I do to go above and beyond my job description this year?
5. How can I improve my productivity while in the office or working at home?

Morning and Night Reflections

If you like to start and end your day intentionally, this printable is for you! In the morning reflect on how you’re feeling and what you want your day to look like. In the evening, think about your small and big accomplishments.

We hope these self-reflection questions have helped you better understand this past year and aid you in creating resolutions for 2019. Fill your new year with positivity by cultivating healthy relationships full of love and giving, setting more achievable and challenging goals and finding the time to enjoy both work and personal time.

Sources

WebMD | Brandon Gaille | Bureau of Labor Statistics | HealthyPlace