Who are you, and how are you doing in life? Here is a list of self-reflection questions in different aspects for a better, all-around understanding of yourself.
Have you ever felt lost and don’t know what to do next in your career? Or maybe you are juggling between work, life, and relationships, and you don’t know where you should focus.
One thing I found helpful to clear the confusion is self-reflection. If you are unsure what the next step is or want to know more about yourself, this list of self-reflection questions may come in handy.
Why is self-reflection important?
Like driving, sometimes we are too focused on the road ahead of us that we forget to check if we are in the right direction. Self-reflection asks us to take a step back and re-evaluate where we are in life. So we can figure out whether we are heading towards our destination.
By reviewing our achievements, mistakes, goals, and core values, we have a clearer idea of who we are and how well we are doing in different aspects of life.
For example, you may be working 10 hours a day with almost no quality time with your family. One or two self-reflection questions may help you to realize the imbalance. And thus, you can make positive changes for your relationships.
Now that we are aware of how important self-reflection is, how should we do that?
How to self-reflect?
Have you ever zoned out on the way back home thinking about how your day went and what you could have done better? If the answer is yes, you are no stranger to self-reflection.
Self-reflection, by definition, is the process of thinking about your past and present, your beliefs and values. For example, reviewing your relationship after a breakup is a form of self-reflection. So is a thorough year-end self-review.
It’s worth noted that you don’t need any tools or guidelines for introspection. But if you want to do it productively and strengthen your self-awareness, you can use some help.
And the following self-reflection questions cover the primary areas of life: who you are as a person, relationship, career, finance, mental and physical health. You can use them for a brief self-interview or as journal prompts.
While answering the self-reflection questions, honesty is key. You don’t need to hide the facts because no one is there to judge you. Neither should you judge yourself. The more honest your answers are, the more you will get out of the introspection.
So if you are ready, get yourself a pen and paper, and read on.
Self-reflection questions to know yourself better
About me questions to raise your self-awareness
Every now and then, we may need to write an about me page, introduce yourself to new people, or reflect on your life. This list of about me questions will be the guideline that takes you to know yourself better.
- Describe yourself in three words.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Make a list of five positive personality traits of yourself.
- List five negative personality traits of yourself.
- What matters most to you?
- Name one of your recent achievements that you are most proud of.
- What are your core values? (Check out this list to find out yours)
- What will make your life worthwhile?
- Where did you grow up? And how has your hometown influenced you as an adult?
- Name one childhood hobby that you still want to pursue as an adult.
- Describe an unforgettable day in your childhood.
- As a kid, who did you want to be when you grew up? Have you achieved your goal?
- What’s something you’ve done that was challenging?
- What’s one thing you regret doing?
- Has anyone been angry with you? Why?
- What is something you need to get out of your chest?
- What do you want others to know about you?
- If you only have one day left to live, what are the three things you must do?
- What failure turned out to be a blessing?
- What is something you own or skill you master that few people have?
- If you can change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
- What do you always want to do but haven’t? What is stopping you?
- Which movie or TV character do you identify with? Why?
- What changes do you wish to see in your community and the world? How can you contribute?
Questions to ask yourself about love and relationship
- Name three people that have a positive influence on your life.
- Name three people that influence your life negatively.
- Who completes your life? Why?
- Are you happy with your love life now?
- What are the most important qualities a partner should have?
- What are your deal breakers?
- Name three characteristics of a soulmate.
- What makes a relationship work, in your opinion?
- What are the top three qualities you value in a friend?
- Who do you wish you can spend more time with? Why?
- How will you describe the relationship between your parents? Does it influence your view on love and marriage?
- Describe your relationship with your parents.
- What kind of people annoy you?
- Do you have an enemy? If so, why?
- Name one person that makes you feel uncomfortable. And try to dig into the reasons.
- Do you have a best friend? If so, what do you see in them?
- Have you lost someone you cared about? If so, have you recovered from the pain of loss?
- Who do you want to be by the side of your deathbed?
- Is your family supportive when it comes to life decisions like education, marriage, and career?
- Who will you go to for advice when you need to make an important decision?
- Among words of appreciation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, and gifts, which one do you want to receive from your partner the most?
- What’s one thing you can do to make your relationship stronger?
- Who could use less of your attention?
- If you can bring one person back to life, who will that be and why?
Self-reflection questions on career and money
- What is one thing you can do this week to improve your personal finance?
- Where do you see yourself five years from now? What about ten years from now?
- What can you do this week to get closer to your career goal?
- Do you love your job? Why or why not?
- What is your financial goal in 5 years? How do you plan to achieve it? List some major steps.
- If you have to choose a job that lasts till retirement, what will you pick?
- Do you think you keep a healthy balance between life and work? If not, how can you improve it?
- Describe your ambition.
- Are you good at working with people or do you prefer working by yourself?
- What’s something about you that is underestimated?
- How can you do your job better? Try to list three actionable ways.
- What is something you can learn to make your work easier?
- If you can be someone you know from work, who will you be and why?
- What is one risk that is worth taking?
- Do you have a mentor at work? If so, what have they taught you?
- How did you bounce back from failure and setbacks?
- How much do you earn, and how much do you spend monthly?
- Are you a saver, or are you a spender?
- What is something you regret purchasing?
- What is your net worth by now? Are you happy with where you are at financially?
Read also: How to calculate your net worth (+free printable and digital worksheet)
- What is one thing you bought in the last three months that is a good investment?
- If you can give any financial advice to your children, what will it be?
Questions for yourself about mental health and spirituality
- How are you, really?
- On a scale from 1 to 10, how much will you score your mental health at the moment?
- Do you think it’s important to step out of your comfort zone? If so, what have you done to do that?
- What do you blame yourself for? Are they all your faults?
- List 10 things you are grateful for.
- Do you sometimes feel overly responsible?
- Name three areas of your life that are the most consuming or stressful. Can anyone help you with these tasks?
- Are you too hard on yourself?
- Do you see yourself as an overachiever?
- Do you care too much about what others think?
- List 5 things that relax your mind and soul.
- How often do you feel lonely? What will you do then?
- What makes you feel uncomfortable?
- Do you see yourself as an extrovert, introvert, or ambivert? Why?
- Do you make to-do lists for the day? If so, do you manage to finish all the items?
- Are you a better person now than three years ago?
- Do you think you are worthy of good things in life? Why or why not?
- What do you feel guilty about?
- What are your insecurities?
- Have you attached your mistakes or failures to your worth? What if you consider them as part of the process?
- What is bothering you right now? Is it beyond your control?
- What keeps you awake at night?
- What terrifies you?
- Have you healed from your past traumas?
- Have you ever been in an addiction? If so, how did you pull yourself out?
- What are you struggling with now?
- What is one life lesson you’ve learned this year?
- Are you holding any grudges? If so, what are they about?
Self-assessment questions on physical health
- On a scale from 1 to 10, how much will you score on your health at the moment?
- What is one bad habit you can quit for better health?
- What is one good habit you can develop to improve your health?
- List 5 activities that make you feel energized. How much time can you spend on them each week?
- What’s something you can do this week for your health? How will you keep yourself accountable?
- Are you taking good care of yourself both physically and mentally?
- What is your self-care routine, and how much time do you spend each day on it?
- What is something you can do today to treat yourself?
- Do you have nighttime rituals? If so, have they improved your sleeping quality?
- How do you define healthy eating? Do you think eating healthy is difficult?
- How often do you exercise?
- On a scale from 1 to 10, how will you rate your cardiovascular endurance, strength, flexibility, and muscular endurance?
- Do you have 7 to 8 hours’ sleep at night? Are you sleeping well?
- When do you feel the most productive and focused in a day?
- When is your downtime in a day? How do you spend it?
- Do you love your body?
- Have you suffered from burnout? If so, how did you feel then?
- How did you recover from burnout? And list three things you can do in the future to avoid it.
How did you do on your self-reflection?
Do you have a clearer understanding about yourself? Have you come up with actionable steps to improve on certain areas? Share in the comment!
