Have you ever wondered how your childhood memories, both the joyous and the painful, continue to shape your mental well-being today? Join us as we delve into the hidden corners of our minds, revealing how those early experiences can resurface unexpectedly, sometimes triggering stress or panic attacks. If you're a parent, you might find yourself reliving past challenges as you watch your children navigate similar obstacles. We'll share some practical coping tools like therapy, heartfelt conversations with loved ones, and even blogging as methods for coming to terms with these memories. Plus, we’ll discuss how reflecting on pivotal life changes, such as the transition from high school to adulthood, can equip us to handle future transformations more effectively.
We also dive into the broader role of reflection in our lives, from the emotional power of songs and movies to the spiritual solace found in religious practices like confession and prayer. Learn how these moments of reflection can radically alter your mindset, helping you foster positivity and personal growth. We'll offer strategies for shifting from negative to positive thinking, emphasizing the importance of affirmations and surrounding yourself with uplifting people. Finally, we underscore the necessity of reflecting on past actions, balancing acknowledgment of both triumphs and mistakes to avoid repeating errors and ensuring continual self-improvement. This episode promises to equip you with the insight and tools to harness the power of reflection for a more fulfilling life.
Thanks for listening and for being one of our valued subscribers! Our GiveAway Contest Is Running For Another 30 Days - you gotta keep those entries ticking up if you want a shot at the MacBook Air. You can enter here
Have you ever wondered how your childhood memories, both the joyous and the painful, continue to shape your mental well-being today? Join us as we delve into the hidden corners of our minds, revealing how those early experiences can resurface unexpectedly, sometimes triggering stress or panic attacks. If you're a parent, you might find yourself reliving past challenges as you watch your children navigate similar obstacles. We'll share some practical coping tools like therapy, heartfelt conversations with loved ones, and even blogging as methods for coming to terms with these memories. Plus, we’ll discuss how reflecting on pivotal life changes, such as the transition from high school to adulthood, can equip us to handle future transformations more effectively.
We also dive into the broader role of reflection in our lives, from the emotional power of songs and movies to the spiritual solace found in religious practices like confession and prayer. Learn how these moments of reflection can radically alter your mindset, helping you foster positivity and personal growth. We'll offer strategies for shifting from negative to positive thinking, emphasizing the importance of affirmations and surrounding yourself with uplifting people. Finally, we underscore the necessity of reflecting on past actions, balancing acknowledgment of both triumphs and mistakes to avoid repeating errors and ensuring continual self-improvement. This episode promises to equip you with the insight and tools to harness the power of reflection for a more fulfilling life.
Thanks for listening and for being one of our valued subscribers! Our GiveAway Contest Is Running For Another 30 Days - you gotta keep those entries ticking up if you want a shot at the MacBook Air. You can enter here
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Do you resent some aspects of your childhood? Many people have great childhood memories Playing ball in the fields, going to the pool to swim with friends or on a team. Some kids in your neighborhood had a paper route to earn some money, or maybe that kid was you. Summers were a time for relaxing and playing, and as much as we dreaded going to school, at least we got to hang out with our friends. And as much as we dreaded going to school, at least we got to hang out with our friends. There may, however, be some experiences from your childhood that you'd just sooner forget. Perhaps you had a family member who wasn't nice to you, or you were bullied as a child and were told to ignore it because it builds character, or something like that.
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These not-so-wonderful childhood experiences can stick with us into adulthood. We may try to push them out so we don't remember, but they can resurface when we least expect them to. When they do, they can sometimes hit us harder than we realize and cause us stress or even panic attacks. Your kids may experience similar situations, and it brings back your memories of those times. Of course, as a parent, you may be able to help your kids divert the situation in a different way than it happened for you. Nonetheless, it's still going to bring back those memories.
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Some people can forget. That's great for them. Others cannot and they need a way to deal with it. There is no one solution fits all and everyone has to come up with ways to cope. For some, therapy could be the answer. For others, talking to family members and friends can be a great help. If your kids are going through similar situations as you faced, it may be best to discuss it with them. These situations are often why therapists try to get their patients to discuss their with them. These situations are often why therapists try to get their patients to discuss their childhood situations. When these situations continue to fester within, the resentments build to the point where it affects the quality of life, some people try to cope with substance abuse. This usually escalates the problem rather than deal with it. A general information article such as this cannot give any answers to these situations. If they become a problem for you, get the help you need, it's likely the further that you suppress them, the less effective the help will become, although it's never too late to find help when needed, even if you have let it go for a while.
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Blogging as a means of reflection. What is a blog, but a reflection of the blogger. While not everyone uses it for that purpose, many people do. A blog, after all, is a chronological account of whatever the blogger decides to write about. Many people share their current stories, but you can find others who will share the past as well. Current stories, but you can find others who will share the past as well. Some blogs may share too much information. Nonetheless, it's out there for people to interpret them as they will. Another great aspect of blogs is, even if you record your current life, eventually it will be a reflection for you and others to see.
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Before blogging, people had to rely on websites which were difficult to manage. You had to hire a web designer, and that wasn't cheap. Blogging made it accessible for anyone. There is still a learning curve associated with blogging, but it's a small one. Most people can get most of what they need in a week or less. The great aspect of blogging is it can make people money when they set it up correctly. This is obviously getting more difficult as more bloggers enter the space, but it's still possible.
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Many people use blogs for the potential notoriety and don't worry so much about whether they are making money with the blogs. It gives them a voice, and that is often more important than the money. They can use the blog to teach others or they can use it to learn about themselves. Many bloggers make discoveries about themselves when they manage a blog. It allows them to structure their thoughts in ways they never would have without the blog. Blogging is not required for reflection, but it does open doors with the insights it provides. It lets people express their feelings or give access to secrets that they want to share. Of course, there is a dark side to this, in that whatever is on a blog can be seen and used against the blogger. At times. It's great to have access to blogging to express your feelings, but be aware that once it's published, it's difficult to take back. Even if you think you can completely delete the blog, google and maybe others store versions of it on archiveorg. This means that publishing is eternal. For most people, blogging will provide a great avenue to connect with others and share their lives. This is a positive aspect of blogging and it allows a large number of people to use it for reflection Dealing with change using reflection.
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Change is tough for people to deal with, yet it's the one aspect of life that will happen often. Sometimes, using reflection can help people when dealing with change. You may remember hanging out with friends during your senior year in high school. For most people, it was a great time that we wish would never have ended. However, it did end and people moved on with their lives. You probably had mixed emotions when it happened. It was exciting to look forward to something new, but sad to part with those close friends. Some you may have stayed in contact with, but many you probably don't see anymore. It's possible to reflect on that time to deal with future changes. You can use any of your past experiences where you had major changes come your way. Try to use how you felt at the time, along with how your life turned out after the change.
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When we go through this mental exercise, we discover the changes were usually not as bad as we first imagined them to be. In fact, it's like you grew from the experience, which is positive. You won't view every change as good. In fact, some of them may be downright dreadful. Hopefully, these don't happen too often and when they do, you get over them quickly.
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Sometimes, events in life can make it difficult to deal with, even when reflecting on prior experiences. When this happens, you may want to seek out others who are going through something similar. There are plenty of support groups that you can join that can help you through the hard times. Change is also what we make of it. If we choose to embrace it, we often find it works to our benefit. If we are highly resistant, we block ourselves from leading a good life along with the changes. Again, this is where reflecting on prior experiences can help. Keep an open mind and try to think back on any previous experiences that can help guide you through the changes. Sometimes it's okay to fight the change when something doesn't seem right about it. That's okay too. You may be justified in doing so and will probably get support from others. It takes courage to be the one standing up for what you believe, but you will be stronger for it. In the end. People will respect you for your courage and leadership. Reflect on the experiences of others. When people have challenges in their lives, they often write a book about them. You can find thousands of biographies and autobiographies on Amazon that portray the struggles that people went through to get where they are. These struggles can be great reflections to help our own lives.
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Successful people give us inspiration by showing they were once just like everyone else. Abraham Lincoln's family was too poor to send him to school, yet he became a lawyer. He was self-taught. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. His country was being bombarded on a daily basis during World War II. The Germans were later defeated, albeit with the help of Allied troops. He had a big part in making that happen. However, many of us heard the story of JK Rowling, harry Potter author, and how she wasa homeless single mother. She went on to write one of the most successful series in history. Harry Potter fans are grateful she persisted.
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You can find dozens of other stories of people who dropped out of school or had difficult childhoods, etc. These are what helped them to find their successes. They likely reflected on those bad times and used them to improve their situations. Their stories can help us avoid their situations or at least help us get out of those situations if we are faced with similar fates. This is a major reason why we were required to write book reports about successful people during our school years. By seeing what adversity other people faced, we can reflect on their situations and use that as the basis for making our lives better. It's still a good idea to read the profiles of people who struggled before us. It refreshes our views and shows that, even when it seems like there are no choices, they pushed through their situations and made them work. Reading profiles will have little value if you don't take action. However, it's important to learn about how people overcame their situations, but each of them took action that led them to where they are or were.
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Reflection is good only if it brings you results. If not, you are simply dreaming about a better life without taking the steps to make it a reality. Some people spend their entire lives dreaming about what could be, only to find it's too late. Reflection for Healing Traumatic experiences can last a lifetime. People try to forget them as best they can and move on with their lives. However, healing tends to happen quicker when people reflect on those experiences. By trying to forget, it can bring out those feelings even stronger, and that prevents us from moving on.
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It helps to talk to others when we've had traumatic experiences. Talking to family and friends is okay, but it's usually better to speak with people who are going through similar circumstances as you. This is why Alcoholics Anonymous or AA requires members of closed meetings to be people who have admitted to having substance abuse problems. Anyone can attend an open meeting. Members in AA meetings use reflection to bring up their experiences of drinking or drug use. They do this to remind themselves that going back to that life is not a good choice. They also do it to help others in similar circumstances realize they are not alone. This is especially helpful for newer members.
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It can be difficult for people to discuss what happened in the past. Perhaps they were fighting in a war situation as a member of the armed services. They may have had to take another life, and that is something that often haunts people. Another situation is they may have a permanent injury as a result of the armed conflict. If you find you are facing a situation that is difficult to discuss and is holding you back, you may want to consider seeking out professional help.
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Therapists are trained in helping people get through traumatic experiences. You should not approach this avenue of help as something that is going to cure you after a few sessions. It takes a long time and often requires many sessions before seeing any results or benefits. The quicker people are in reflecting on their experiences, the faster they can start to heal. There are no guarantees, but keeping your feeling bottled up is likely to make the situation worse or at least stay the same. You may find the government has programs or funding available to get you the help you need. This can be an important factor, especially when seeking professional counseling, as this can get quite expensive. Contact your local municipality for any programs that may be available and follow the procedures to get the help you need. It's likely to be a long journey, but the sooner you begin, the faster you can start living a better life for yourself.
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Reflection via songs. Have you ever heard a song that you haven't heard in a while? What types of memories did it bring back to you? You may have attended a class reunion in the past. When you did, what type of music was played? It is likely that it wasn't modern. You heard music from your era. In fact, you and your classmates talked about songs when they started playing from the DJ or jukebox.
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People will state where they were when they first heard a particular song. Many people will equate a song to a certain event. For instance, you may remember your first date and what was playing on the radio at the time. You and the person you dated, associated that song with that first date and thought about it each time you heard it after that. Unfortunately, we can reflect on songs during darker times in our lives. You may remember what song was playing when a close relative or friend passed away, or it could have been something that was playing during their funeral services, etc. The bright side of this is you will think of the deceased person any time you hear that song. It's good to think about our loved ones who are no longer with us.
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Movies use music to carry the plot. It's rare that you will see a movie without any theme music playing in the background. These songs may be ones you already know or they may have been written for the movie. This is a concept known as prosody and can add tremendous dramatic effect to the movie. Imagine how Star Wars would be without that driving music every time the Imperial forces entered the scene. It simply wouldn't have the same effect.
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Songs are an effective form of reflection. This is why radio stations come up with themed shows. They are quite popular with listeners. For instance, some stations will play Beatles music at noontime, calling it Lunch with the Beatles, etc. They may have themes based on an era or year. They may choose a movement such as the British Invasion. Each of these themes is meant to spark reflections from people who experienced that period. Have you ever made a mix CD or a playlist on iTunes? Many of those probably have themes associated with them, representing a point in your life that you want to reflect on. It's a fun way to remember the past.
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Religions use reflection as a tool. If you are religious, you will find a major tool of several religions is reflection. That makes sense. They teach you about how to live a wholesome life. At least that is the intent. In the Catholic religion there is the concept of confession. The idea is that when people sin, they have a way of receiving forgiveness by reflecting on what they did wrong. The priest suggests acts to follow, such as prayers, then encourages congregants not to repeat the sins again. People also use reflection to assess their belief in a god or a deity. They ponder what life would be like if that god did not exist and try to determine whether that would be better than having a god. Those who believe that it is better to believe in god will continue with the religion that conforms to that belief.
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Reflection in religion can also be about others who do not believe the same as you. If you believe in god and you find someone who doesn't, you may feel as though they are missing out. Of course, the other person may never share that feeling and this can cause conflict between the two of you. Religious differences have started wars throughout history. This is against the tenets of most religions.
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Prayer can be thought of as a form of reflection. Many prayers will map out actions people should follow to lead better lives. You have likely heard many derivatives of the term forgive and forget. There are plenty of others. The prayer does not need to be a formal script for it to use reflection. People often pray by simply talking to God and asking for help for themselves or loved ones. This is reflecting about how they would be adversely affected if the situation is not somehow corrected. Serious illnesses are an example of this type of plea to God.
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People spend a lifetime reflecting on how they can improve their lives by trying to avoid what they've done in the past. Often, this is taught in a particular religion. However, it's possible for people to use this reflection without any form of religious training or upbringing. It's a personal decision and we all should try to respect each other's beliefs. This can be difficult when those differences are fundamental. People are not fond of having their beliefs challenged. That, too, is a form of reflection. Your thoughts are a reflection of your life. What we believe and think will project through how we live our lives. Too many people don't believe this. They often attribute their misfortunes to fate or chance, while there are some elements of this within our lives. How we think can alter our future.
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If you are a negative thinking person, you won't see solutions where they exist. You will knock down any idea that comes your way thinking it is not possible. Conversely, when you keep a positive outlook, every idea has the potential to become a solution. You will find the path much quicker than when you don't accept any ideas. These scenarios of positive and negative thinking play out for people over and over. Positive people advance where negative people stay in one place or even fall behind. You will flock to people who share the same mental attitude. Negativity will attract negative thinkers and positivity will attract positive thinkers. When you get a group of positive thinkers together who all are open to many ideas, the possibilities are endless. Negative thinkers will simply find more excuses why their lives aren't working for them. They will recruit as many people as possible to this way of thinking.
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Not every idea that positive people come up with will work. It would be wrong to state that they have all the answers. It's just that they are willing to try anything and evaluate what works and what needs improvement. They will be quicker to abandon those ideas that aren't working. The good news is negative thinkers can turn their situations around. They first have to admit they have a problem. Then they have to learn how to reflect on what they were doing and counter the negative thought patterns. Using affirmations are a great way to reverse the cycle. In reality, negativity is a bad habit. It's easy to get caught up in it due to all the negativity that exists in the world. It's easy to get caught up in it due to all the negativity that exists in the world. News stories, friends, even parents, can all be contributors that help us lead negative lives ourselves. Don't beat yourself up if you find yourself being a negative thinker. As long as you take steps to reverse it, you can live a better life going forward. Your family, friends and colleagues will appreciate the new you. The process will take some time, but it will pay dividends for the rest of your life.
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Reflect in learning. Have you ever experienced something and found after the experience that you forgot it? For instance, you may have attended a seminar that taught you a particular skill, but when you left the seminar you didn't know how to apply it. This is because you did not reflect on what you learned. When you reflect, it gives you the ability to break down the task into logical steps. You can think of it as a reenactment of the procedures that were taught. This doesn't mean you won't learn anything from your experiences. It's just likely to boost the amount that you do learn when you reflect upon those experiences. Sometimes more work is needed. For instance, if you attend a seminar on learning how to program macros in Excel, reflection will only get you so far. It won't be until you start using the language VBA in Excel that you truly comprehend how to work the language. There are plenty of skills that fall into this category and it is prevalent in the technology field. But even with these topics, reflecting on your experience in the seminar will help you get up to speed much quicker than if you have to relearn what you were taught. Obviously, taking good notes will give you a leg up when using reflection in your learning. Try to jot down the steps, the way you learned them in the training that you received.
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Some people have amazing memories and don't need to use reflection when learning. As soon as they learn, they can store it in their memories. For the rest of us, we should rely on reflection to help us better retain what we learn. If you are someone who forgets lessons or experiences, it's time to use reflection as a tool to help you overcome this. You do need to make a conscious effort and form new habits in your learning. It is even tougher for adults because we are not in the learning mode. Kids simply grasp information easier because they are in the learning mode. If you have been away from school for a while and you need to increase your skills, this reflection will make the transition back to learning much easier than simply trying to memorize everything. The good news is there are different mediums to learn that were not available when many of us were in school. Choose the ones that work best for you.
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Why Reflection Works when we reflect on our lives and our past, we learn about who we are and why we do what we do. Some of the experiences we wish never happened, while others we can cherish. These reflections will help us shape who we want to become in the future. Of course you have to want to change if you continually make mistakes. Some people reflect on their lives and believe every experience was acceptable, even when they hurt others. Then there are people who refuse to even reflect at all. They just do whatever they want and don't care about the consequences. Making changes will help you live a better life.
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If you learn that you have wronged others in the past and you don't want to repeat this, then take the time to reflect on what you did so you can recognize it in the future. Don't just focus on the bad stuff. There is plenty of good you have done as well. Play up on your positive aspects and remember when you had experiences that were not so positive. Above all, don't dwell on your past. It's good to reflect, but if you do it too much, you will become too cautious. Then you will stop taking the necessary risks to move forward. Even with reflection, you are going to make mistakes and maybe wrong people again. As long as you continue to recognize that and try to do better next time, that is what you want to strive for.
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It doesn't matter what age you are to reflect on your past. If you are young, you may believe that you haven't lived enough to have made major mistakes, but young people often make mistakes without realizing the consequences. Usually, parents will be there to help them understand, but that isn't always the case. This is when reflection can help. Too many older people hold the belief that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but that is simply not true. People can learn at any age, and taking the time to reflect on your life can give insight you never thought possible. You will find many people over the age of 50 going back to college. If they couldn't learn, this trend would have ceased long ago. People have to determine how they want to live their lives and then take steps to make that happen. Often, that requires looking into the past and being honest about where you've been, so that you can get a better sense of the future.