Life can often feel overwhelming at times, right? Sometimes we feel like we’re doing a million things all at once just trying to stay afloat. Other times, we’re on a journey of success and momentum, everything’s working out and we’re feeling strong and confident. Often, we move between two stages – surviving and thriving – without fully understanding why.
This is where reflective thinking comes in!
It’s not about overanalysing or criticising yourself. Reflective thinking is the conscious act of noticing, exploring, and responding to what’s happening inside you; emotionally, mentally, and physically.
It’s a life skill, and more than that, it’s a lifeline.
Because when you can understand what’s happening within, you become better equipped to navigate what’s happening around you.
Let’s break this down further…
Survival mode looks different for everyone. It might be staying busy to avoid your emotions, pushing through stress, running on empty, or isolating yourself. You might be showing up on the outside while shutting down inside.
When you’re in survival mode, the world can feel too loud. You might:
These are signs that your system is doing its best to protect you, but it’s not sustainable.
Reflective thinking helps you recognise survival mode, without shame. It gives you a chance to ask:
Naming that you’re surviving is not failure, it’s the first step toward support and change.
Thriving doesn’t mean being perfect or productive all the time; it means feeling connected to yourself, your purpose, and your life.
When you’re thriving, you might notice:
Too often, we rush past our thriving moments. We’re so focused on what’s next that we forget to reflect on what’s working.
Reflective thinking helps you to recognise when you are thriving. It asks:
Reflection isn’t only for fixing problems, it’s also for reinforcing progress.
A trigger is something external or internal that causes a sudden emotional reaction. It could be a comment that makes you feel small, a memory that catches you off guard, or a feeling that puts you in stress mode.
Triggers aren’t necessarily the problem. The issue is when we react on autopilot, without knowing why we’re upset or what we actually need.
Common triggers include:
Reflective thinking helps you slow the reaction and ask:
Once you understand your triggers, you gain the power to respond with awareness rather than react with instinct.
Symptoms are the signs that something inside you is trying to get your attention. They can be emotional (irritability, anxiety), physical (tight chest, fatigue), cognitive (racing thoughts, brain fog), or behavioural (withdrawing, snapping, procrastinating).
These signs are not weaknesses – they are your bodies way of telling you, “Something’s off, let’s check in.”
Reflective thinking turns symptoms into signals.
It helps you ask:
If you only listen to your symptoms when they get loud, it’s often too late. But if you build the habit of reflective awareness, you catch them early.
Imagine for a moment that you’re in the middle of emotional overwhelm, feeling anxious, tired and burnt out.
This is where you reach for your Reflective Life Jacket.
The Reflective Life Jacket is a metaphor, a tool you mentally “wear” when you feel overstimulated or emotionally dysregulated. It doesn’t solve your problems, but it helps you to stay afloat.
Your life jacket has 3 essential pockets, each holding a promise to yourself. These are the non-negotiable practices you commit to when symptoms of stress, burnout, or emotional struggle arise.
Here’s what you might keep in your pockets:
Pocket 1: Your Connection Anchor
This is a reminder to reach out to a friend, partner, family etc.
Connection grounds us and reminds us we’re not alone.
Your promise: “When I feel overwhelmed, I’ll speak to someone I trust, even if it’s just to say, ‘I’m not okay right now.’”
Pocket 2: Your Breathing
This is a tool to reset your nervous system – breath is one of the quickest ways to shift from panic to presence.
Your promise: “I will stop and practice my breathing techniques when I feel stressed or tensed, to allow myself space to reset.”
Pocket 3: Your Energy Refill
This is the thing that brings you back to yourself. Maybe it’s a walk, music, journaling, cooking, or simply 15 minutes of sitting in silence.
Your promise: “When I feel drained, I will pro-actively take the time to do something I enjoy.”
Your Reflective Life Jacket doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be yours! These pockets hold the intentions that keep you afloat when your emotions are high.
Surviving, thriving, triggers, and symptoms aren’t separate parts of your life, they are all connected.
If you’ve made it this far, it means something in you is ready… Not just to survive, but to understand and grow.
That’s why we’ve created a free Reflective Thinking Bundle that includes:
You deserve to feel safe in your own mind.
You deserve to thrive in your own life.
You deserve to have the tools to help you achieve everything you want to in life.
Download for free here!
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