This time last year, many of us began the beginning of our pandemic journey, navigating through the chaos, lockdowns, restrictions, and uncertainties. Now that we have just surpassed the one-year mark, it’s important to check-in with our mental and emotional health. Taking time to reflect on your personal growth over the past year is a conducive exercise to shed light on the changes we faced and overcame with adversity.

Ask yourself the following questions, and write-out your responses – this information will be vital to integrate during our post-pandemic journey into the new normal:

What did you learn about yourself? Think about what you had learned about yourself over the past year. For me, I learned that I could overcome more than I had imagined, especially with my anxiety. I am quite the over-thinker, and I overanalyze at any given opportunity. In the beginning of the pandemic, there was an extreme wave of uncertainty, and my anxiety was severely heightened. I practiced mindfulness to remind myself that the pandemic is outside of my control, and that I need to take each day one step at a time. I also began to break down barriers with perfectionism, as I have been more accepting of myself and my work.

What did you overcome? What obstacles were in your way, and how did you rise above? Did you have a personal experience with COVID-19? Think about how your strength and resilience pulled you through challenging times and identify what you had learned along the way.

What did you change about yourself? Dig deep and identify things you have changed – this could apply to personality traits, way of thinking, self-improvement, etc. How did these changes impact your overall mental and emotional health? Do you see improvements?

After experiencing a pandemic, what advice would you give to yourself? Now that we have experienced life with a major health crisis, what advice would you give to yourself? For me, I would say to be patient and kind with myself. I can be extremely hard on myself, and I constantly remind myself to take a step back, breathe, and understand that it is OK if things do not go as planned.

This exercise is extremely vital to consider while we surpass the one-year mark of the pandemic. This exercise will allow you to openly reflect on your personal growth to exemplify positive strides during a challenging time. Reflecting and journaling is a great practice to boost mental and emotional health. Be proud of how far you have come on your pandemic journey. We’re all in this together, and we will come out stronger this year, and for many years to come. 

What methods of self reflection will you try?