As the year comes to a close and another season is knocking at our doors, we can all agree that it's time to invite introspection and reflection in our lives.

I am sure most of you find time to reflect, especially this time of year. You must be reflecting on what you have accomplished this year and what has gone well for you or hasn't. We all do it, especially when we know that the process of something is running its course and coming to a close. 

Have you ever wondered why we all find time to reflect more than other times when something ends?

Because we always tell us that there is still time to do things. We don't feel pressured in general. Human nature loves comfortable things and easy life experiences. We tell ourselves that whatever comes our way, can be done.  I am sure it can be done,  but have we used introspection while we are in the process? Have we questioned our mental and emotional state? Why are we postponing things that need attending as soon as possible? 

Doing a self-reflective action in our psychology regularly can improve our self-awareness. This can promote mental health and increase happiness.  The act of reflection builds higher levels of self-awareness and resilience and lowers the level of stress.  Introspection is the process that helps us better recognise what we are feeling and thinking. 

Only by self-analyses, will you understand what you feel and why you think in a certain way. With the use of introspection, we can improve our capacity for empathy. The more we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to understand those around us. When we understand ourselves and others through clearer lenses, we wish to use introspection more often. We instinctively know that it has beneficial results.

How do we engage with introspection? By doing different kinds of activities that increase self-awareness. When we journal our thoughts and how we feel, we engage with introspection.

Meditation is another activity that increases the understanding of our inner self. When we find time to reflect on a particular situation and our feelings concerning it our need for more reflection increases. While we always put ourselves into the "Why" questions, we should use the "What" questions instead.

Instead of: "Why is this happening to me?", we should ask ourselves: "What is the thing that bothers me the most concerning this experience? or  "If I had similar experiences before, what should I learn this time around?"

With introspection comes reflection, and with reflection, comes a better understanding of what is important to me, in my journey.

Aristotle said: "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." Once we know ourselves, we can understand the world around us better. Once we understand others better, we feel a certain familiarity. In consequence, we feel safer and more comfortable with asking ourselves the right questions. 

Reflection opens our minds and our inner beings. We all know deep down that what we see is not always what it seems. We know that reflecting upon what we see increases our self-awareness and makes us more prone to exploration. While we explore new experiences, we invite ourselves to "touch" new kinds of life situations.

This is how we challenge ourselves to enter into a new reflective process. Doing it regularly in all of our life experiences we find ourselves in, will make us more selective with the environment in which we invite ourselves to be. 

While many of us are so used to doing things surrounded by others, we should try to spend time alone with ourselves. While we spend time alone, we begin to hear our thoughts. Sometimes, it seems so difficult to spend time alone with no distractions.

Try to challenge yourself in the reflective process and see how long you can spend time with yourself and your thoughts. If it is less than 5 minutes, you must know that it is okay. We live in a world where there are too many distractions. Take a notebook and write down what you feel and what you can do to understand your feelings better. 

The reflective process can be challenging sometimes, but it is a great tool to let yourself know what is truly important to keep or to let go of in your life journey. 

Try to remind yourself that the only person who can do something about the way you live your life now or in the following years is You. How can you do it best? The best way, I say is by using as often as you can introspection and reflection. Remind yourself that all this can be done with the use of your mind and your inner wisdom.