12 Everyday Activities That Put You Into a Natural State of Reflection

We all need time in our day to reflect and introspect.

Often these opportunities are not hard to find. Many everyday activities put us into a natural state of reflection, where we spend time daydreaming and thinking about random things like what to eat for dinner, or what to do on the weekend, or what it would be like to jump in a pool filled with jello.

Reflection plays a fundamental role in our psychology and well-being. Do you know how to reflect in a healthy way?

Research shows that reflection improves learning, especially when we think back to a past situation and how we handled it. We often need to reflect on our experiences to absorb new information and transform it into a lesson we can apply later in our lives.

One interesting study published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience discovered that when people wrote about their past failures that it helped to decrease stress levels and improve decision-making and performance in the future.

Interestingly, even just aimless daydreaming has been shown to boost creativity, especially when we are trying to solve a complex problem that we’ve been racking our brains about for awhile. Sometimes we just need to “walk away” from a problem for a little while and let our unconscious mind do the thinking. Answers can often come to us when we least expect it and when we aren’t trying to solve a problem directly.

While we tend to feel that we are always too busy to step back and reflect, the truth is that opportunities for reflection are all around us.

Here’s a quick list I’ve put together of common activities that put us into a natural state of reflection.

Everyday activities that put you into a natural state of reflection:

• Going for a walk – Walking is one of the best ways to relax a little and let our minds ponder over things. Nietzsche once famously said, “All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” And research shows the power of walking can improve brainstorming, problem-solving, and creativity.
• Taking a shower – Showers are often a great time in the morning to do some reflection. I often like to take this time to reflect on what I want to accomplish during the day and give myself a quick pep talk. Another interesting exercise is to imagine that you are washing away your stress, anxiety, and worries as you physically wash yourself.
• Driving in your car – Driving is another common time to reflect, especially in the morning or evening as you drive to and from work. This is a good opportunity to think about what you need to get done at work, or even just put some fun music on and get yourself in a positive state before you begin your work day.
• Watching sunset/Star-gazing at night – Taking time in the day to enjoy nature and stare up at the sky can also be a fantastic opportunity to introspect, especially on the bigger things like the meaning of life, or how incredible and vast our universe is, or other deep and philosophical questions. Experiences like this can often put us in a state of awe and transcendence, which is an important aspect of building a more meaningful life.
• Sitting in a waiting room – Waiting to see the doctor or waiting for a car repair can often seem like a boring and dreadful experience where we aren’t getting anything accomplished. However, it can also be another opportunity for reflection. While waiting, take the time to reflect on your life and try to list things you are grateful for. Play a version of the alphabet game and try to think of at least one thing you appreciate in your life for each letter. This can be a great way to feed yourself positive thoughts and pass the time quicker.
• Laying down and listening to music – Music is another great way to get us into a reflective mood. Toward the end of my day, I often like to put on a favorite band or album and then just lay down and let my mind relax and drift wherever it wants to go. Psychology research shows that music helps to regulate emotions, so try to find music that puts you into a calm and introspective mood.
• Cleaning/Washing dishes – Cleaning is one of the best times to reflect because it’s a chore that is often easy and repetitive to do, so it doesn’t require too much focus or attention. Simple activities like washing dishes, vacuuming, or dusting are a great way to practice being more mindful of everyday tasks. You get to do something productive while at the same time letting your mind rest and relax. If you want, you can also use cleaning as an opportunity to practice affirmations and feed yourself positive thoughts.
• Sitting at the beach – Similar to watching a sunrise or gazing at the stars at night, sitting at the beach and watching the ocean can be another awe-inducing experience that helps us to appreciate the simpler and finer things in life. Another great time to reflect on things you are grateful for or contemplate the “big questions” in life.
• Playing guitar/Painting/Doodling – Creative hobbies can also be a great way to tap into our minds more and put ourselves into an introspective state. Whether it’s improvising on your guitar, painting, or just doodling on a piece of paper, all of these activities can help us to escape the outside world and retreat to our own inner world. The best part about creative activities is that they can help us to reflect in ways that don’t require words or verbal communication, so we can more fully experience our emotions and express them in an artistic way.
• Journaling – Another effective way to reflect is keep a daily journal. This is a great exercise to practice as a way to analyze the events of your day and organize your thoughts and feelings. Just a simple 5-10 minutes per day is all you need to get the benefits of writing in a journal. The best part is you can always go back and revisit your reflections, which is an interesting way to track your progress and growth in life. Another suggestion is to consider writing as if you were the protagonist of your own life story or epic movie. Self-exploration through writing gives you the ability to take more control over your “life story” and rewrite it in a way that motivates you and inspires you.
• Exercising – Aerobic exercises like running, biking, or swimming are also great opportunities for reflection, especially since these activities are often very repetitive and don’t require much thinking. While running, you can often sort out ideas and thoughts in your head effortlessly while you’re exercising. These can also be a good time to feed yourself affirmations and positive thoughts. Even feeding yourself positive affirmations while lifting weights can be a smart way of boosting your confidence, as well as giving you an extra push of motivation while at the gym.
• Praying/Meditating – Prayer and meditation are also very common ways we dive into a reflective state. Speaking with God through prayer is great, not only for connecting more with your religion, but also to see what’s been occupying your mind lately. Often we ask God for help or strength with things that we are currently very worried or stressed out about. Meditation too, especially an open mind meditation where we simply pay attention to whatever arises in our mind without judgement, is an interesting way to engage more with our moment-to-moment thinking.

All of these activities are opportunities for reflection that you can easily fit into a daily schedule. Of course you don’t have to do all of them, but try to identify at least 2-3 that are most convenient or enjoyable for you.

The best part about all of these activities is that they are a fantastic time to dig into your mental toolbox and engage in some self-care and self-improvement. Some of the “mental tools” you can integrate into your reflection time include affirmations, reframing, visualization, or just thinking about your strengths, accomplishments, and things you are be grateful for.

Regardless of what activities you choose, there is no question that we should embrace times of reflection and give ourselves permission to introspect during certain times of the day.

What everyday activities put you into a natural state of reflection? How can you make the most out of these activities and use them to improve your well-being?

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