Self reflection

As a new person in recovery, when I was in my very first inpatient treatment program, I began a journey of self-reflection. I began looking to my past, from childhood through my age at that time, and I began to learn about myself in new ways. Prior to beginning self-reflection I just ran with life as it was....not really having any idea how my upbringing, the good, the bad, and the real ugly, was effecting my life as an adult.

I had to take a look at my past to learn why I was behaving in the ways I was on a daily basis. While I certainly had some amazing qualities that I carry with me to this day, I also had some highly dysfunctional behaviors that I had to learn to undue and throw in the trash. They were doing me, and those around me, nothing but harm on a regular basis.

Self-reflection is a tool that has helped me to undue years of dysfunction and has helped me to break generational cycles of pain for my son and my grandsons. While none of the self reflection is a perfect process, nor should it be, it for sure has helped me grow as a human in massive ways.  I am a better person, I am a better father and grandfather, I am a better friend, and I am a better husband because of the work I have done using self reflection to learn about myself. 

I very much recommend this process for all who desire to improve their lives as a whole.  Self reflection can begin with journaling and can expand with the help of a therapist to learn and create new and healthier ways of living all around. 

The picture at the top of this post is from one of my journal entries back in the mid 90's. I began journaling while in treatment in '94 and it is has been a great tool to record the trajectory of my life and to use to reflect on where I have been and where I want to go.