5 Self reflection questions for an end of the year review session
5 Self reflection questions for an end of the year review session
We 21st-century humans move through life at such a high speed, whether it feels fast in the moment or not, we often miss what’s right in front of us.
As a time coach, reflecting is the key to intentionality, healing, growth, progress, and success.
Self-reflection or introspection helps you acknowledge what you did, who you were, and what went right.
It can also help you determine what can go better moving forward. Better meaning more authentic or aligned. Not better according to society or guilt.
Want to feel more aware of how you spent your time?
Want to more easily celebrate yourself? Feel more compassion, motivation, and confidence?
Grab a pen and paper or open a fresh google doc to reflect on your last year with me!
Before continuing, PAUSE!
Before we pause and reflect, let’s get super meta and pause to take a few big deep breaths.
Feel free to close your eyes, put your hands on your heart for a gesture of self-compassion, and take three big deep breaths.
Open your eyes, when you’re ready, and we'll go ahead and get started.
5 Self-reflection questions for an end-of-year review session
Q1: What happened in your life and business?
The first question that I always need to journal or think about to decompress from the past year was: What happened in my life? What happened in my business or job?
Here’s what happened in my life and business and what I learned in 2022.
Pause reading this blog, and take some time to journal about this question. I’d recommend 10 to 15 minutes. Feel free to open up your digital calendar or planners to help jog your memory.
Q2: What happened in the world around you?
The second question is: What happened in the world around me?
So not just in your personal life, but expanding out to what happened in your community and the world.
In 2022, we seem to be recovering from COVID, wars and revolutions broke out, elections were had, and so much more. I often forget about how current events in the world impact me and add internalized stress and anxiety.
Feel free to take another 10 to 15 minutes to jot down all the things that happened in the world around you that you can think of.
Q3: What goals did you accomplish? Not accomplish?
The third question is: What were the goals that I set at the beginning of the year? Which of them happened, and which didn’t?
If you want to go deeper, ask yourself why you think that was the case. For the goals that happened, what supported you in accomplishing them? For the ones that didn’t happen, how can you give yourself permission to let go of them?
If you need help letting it go, go back to the last question, what happened in the world around you? What happened in your life? Hopefully, those two questions will give you a bit of permission or compassion around why they didn't come to fruition.
Pause reading and journal about that connecting to the last two questions and truly start to see kind of how all these things that impact our time, ourselves, and our lives start to fit together.
Q4: What have you learned over the past year?
The next question that I always love to reflect on is: What significant lessons can I gather from the last year of my life? Some additional questions are:
What have I learned from all the things that have happened?
What did I learn about what makes me successful?
Then, ask yourself: How might I carry these lessons with me into the new year?
Again, pause reading here to take some time to journal about your takeaways now.
Q5: How can you celebrate yourself and your efforts?
The fifth and final question is: How can I celebrate myself and my efforts?
If you're here reading this and reflecting on your last year, that is enough to celebrate. I’m celebrating you reflecting and reviewing the past year because it’s 100% going to set you up for success.
A simple and easy way to celebrate yourself is through self-talk. You can say to yourself, “Thank you for making it through another year. Thank you for reflecting. Thank you for caring about me. Thank you!!!”
Another question you can ask yourself is: What do I need to do to make sure I actually celebrate myself?
It’s really easy for people to move right past celebrating themselves. This is the most important part of the end-of-year review session. You deserve celebration and acknowledgment!
Ok, I lied. Q6: Where would you like to be in a year from now?
With your above reflections and this question, it’s time to create a plan for 2023 that is sustainable, realistic, and most importantly authentic to you.
Want to end 2023 knowing that you made the best use of your time, energy, and attention?
Want to be able to take more time off to rest and take care of yourself than ever before? Or discover the strategies that will help you stay focused on and follow through with what matters most in your life?
Whatever it is, I'm here for it.
Click here to learn how time coaching can support you as you thrive into the next phase of your life.
5 Powerful healing herbs for moments of stress and recovery
The nervous system weaves the connection from our brain, mind, emotions, and intentions with our physical body.
It helps us communicate with the world around us through movement, touch, taste, smell, and perception and regulates our internal environment through breath, circulation, digestion, and so much more.
So, when our nervous system is dysregulated, we can feel dysregulated physically, mentally, and emotionally.
If you’re running a business, your nervous system gets deregulated quite frequently.
From nerve-wracking sales conversations, long hours, feelings of overwhelm, and the pressure of making money to pay the bills… it’s a lot.
However, when you take care of your mind, body, and spirit, life and business become so much easier.
Read this guest blog post to learn how healing herbs can take better care of you, your nervous system, and your business.
Written by: Andie Inscoe, MS (she/her)
Why are herbs so important?
Short- and long-term stress can interrupt the healthy function of the nervous system and the harmonious function of the body as a whole.
This leaves us feeling stressed, anxious, depleted, overwhelmed, tense, and restless, with poor digestion, low energy, susceptibility to sickness, and overall weakened resilience.
Herbs offer a gentle hand when we are going through stressful times or enduring the ever-present stressors of modern life.
The phytochemicals in plants communicate directly with our cells, protect and support the healthy structure and function of tissues, organs and harmonize the whole body.
Healing herbs have the power to soothe and relax the mind, body, and spirit, restore nerve tissue, increase the body’s resilience to stress, provide nutrients and minerals, support the immune system and digestion, improve sleep quality, and so much more.
5 Powerful healing herbs
Chamomile
Latin name: Matricaria recutita
Part used: Flower
Herbal actions:
Relaxes the nervous system
Eases digestive troubles
Aromatic
Reduces spasms
Mildly sedating
Chamomile is a friend when stress brings you into the space of feeling physically and mentally agitated, overwhelmed, very emotional, or “fussy” by your surroundings. It settles stomach tension, cramping, and upset caused by nervousness or uneasiness. It is a calming flower, with a mild sedative quality that eases anxiety before bedtime and calms nightmares.
Preparation(s):
Infusion - add 1-2 tsp to 1 cup of recently boiled water. Cover and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes. Strain and enjoy.
Tincture - 1-5 dropperfuls, 1-4 times daily in a little water
Rose
Latin name: Rosa spp.
Part used: Buds
Herbal actions:
Ease the heart
Elevate mood
Reduces stress
Aromatic
Relaxes the nervous system
Reduces tension
Aphrodisiac
Calming to the heart and mind
Rose’s loving gifts center around the heart. Rose is a tried and true remedy for stress surrounding grief, loss, depression, anxiety, and emotional shock, especially involving loved ones, love affairs, and any emotions felt strongly in the heart space. It calms, relieves tension, and lightly elevates the mood. Rose is useful when feeling a lack of self-love or when wanting to enhance love and intimacy for yourself or with others.
Preparation(s):
Infusion - add 1/2-1 tsp to 1 cup of recently boiled water. Cover and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes. Strain and enjoy.
Tincture - 10 drops to 1 dropperful, 3 times daily in a little water
Rose Hydrosol - spray around and inhale 2-3 deep breaths, as needed
Milky Oat Tops
Latin name: Avena sativa
Part used: Milky tops
Herbal actions:
Nutritive, mineralizing
Tonify and restore healthy function to nerve tissue & the nervous system
Uplifting to the spirit
Milky Oat Tops bring strength and restoration when stress has been chronic or long-term, bringing vitamins and minerals to nourish and replenish a depleted system. Oat Tops encourage recovery from intense overwork, overwhelm; feelings of fatigue, depletion; physical and mental exhaustion; and particularly stressful periods of time or illness. It is gently calming and brings along a sense of long-needed wellbeing.
Preparation(s):
High mineral, nutritive infusion - lightly grind ½-1 cup herbs and add to 1 quart of recently boiled water, allow to steep 8 hours to overnight. Strain and enjoy.
Skullcap
Latin name: Scutellaria lateriflora
Part used: Aerial parts
Herbal actions:
Tonify and restore healthy function to nerve tissue & the nervous system
Reduces spasms
Induces sleep
Reduces anxiety
Skullcap is called upon when having trouble relaxing, with tension tightening especially around the head, neck, and shoulders. When stress results in an overactive mind causing mental, emotional, and physical irritation, that may result in light spasms. There may be feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, panic, or oversensitivity to light, sounds, or textures. Skullcap is especially calming at night, as it soothes the mind and body and encourages sleep and restfulness, and can be helpful if stress is keeping you from sleeping.
Preparation(s):
Infusion - add 1-2 tsp to 1 cup of recently boiled water. Cover and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes. Strain and enjoy.
Fresh plant tincture - 1-4 dropperfuls, 1-3 times per day in a little water (MUIH)
Reishi Mushroom
Latin name: Ganoderma lucidum
Part used: Mushroom fruiting body
Herbal actions:
Increases non-specific resiliency to stress (adaptogen)
Immune supportive
Calming to the spirit
Antioxidant
Cardiotonic
Reishi carries when there is long-term stress where the immune system may be compromised, with frequent sickness, colds, and flus. When stress is unyielding and there is a necessity to shoulder through, Reishi mushrooms increase our resiliency to consistent stressors, provide protective mechanisms for the nervous system, and enhance immunity. It is calming and uplifting to emotions, the spirit, and an overactive nervous system.
Preparation(s):
Pre-extracted powder or capsules - 1 g, twice per day
Dual extract tincture - 1-5 dropperfuls, 3 times per day in a little water
Tips for sourcing bulk healing herbs and herbal products
It’s important to look for the Latin Name of a plant when sourcing to make sure you’re getting what you’re looking for. Some plants with the same common name can come in many varieties or even be completely different plants in different places!
You want to use reputable sources to avoid unethical harvesting, adulteration, and poor quality. Plant compounds are only as rich as the soil they were grown in.
Always consider the sustainability of harvesting and growing practices, and at-risk status of plants. Click here to review my favorite resource for this.
Bulk herbs
When possible, buy local! Mountain Rose Herbs has a directory of local herb growers by region.
Pacific Botanicals (online retailer)
Mountain Rose Herbs (online retailer)
Tinctures
Learn how to make your own! There are many online and print resources available for Herbal Medicine Making. I recommend:
Pre-extracted Mushroom Powders
Which healing herbs are you interested in incorporating into your life?
Let us know in the comments below!
A Note on Botanical Safety: All information is provided solely as a personal resource for maintaining optimal health and wellbeing. The information provided is not medical advice. Herbs are not intended for the treatment of disease, injury, physical, or mental ailment. Always consult your healthcare provider when taking herbs with specific conditions or while taking medications.
References:
Notes and teachings from the Master’s of Science in Therapeutic Herbalism program at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Courses taught by Andrew Pengelly & Betsy Miller.
Notes and teachings from Matthew Wood from the Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism.
Sajah Popham, Advanced Clinical Herbalism: The Nervous System [PDF Document].
Sharol Tilgner, Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth.
Thomas Easley & Steven Horne, The Modern Herbal Dispensatory.
About the Contributor
Andie Inscoe (she/her) is a clinical herbalist with a Master’s of Science in Therapeutic Herbalism from the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Tailoring herbal remedies, lifestyle, and food recommendations, Andie offers virtual herbal consultations for creating sustainable practices that support nourishment, balance, and healthy function of the mind, body, and spirit.
Andie is passionate about working alongside folks who feel run down and at odds with their health/lifestyles, want to connect more fully with nature, and are looking to dig deeper and connect with their own fundamental ability to life and healing. Together they seek to understand what’s going on underneath symptoms and strategize ways to best support themselves in this moment.
Why taking time off is so hard and how to do it without feeling guilty
Why taking time off is so hard and how to do it without feeling guilty
Resting and taking time off is not exactly glamorous or sexy. But… Do you know what is?
Feeling energized, motivated, and joyful on a regular basis. And being successful without having to work all the time.
If that's what you're into or looking for, taking time off and rest is non-negotiable. So why is it so challenging to put everything aside and make time for you?
By the end of this blog, you will understand why it's so hard for you to take time away from your business and what to do about it.
Why is taking time off so hard (even when you plan for it)?
Puppies.
Confused? Let me explain.
If you’ve ever had a puppy, you know how much work they are. It makes me tired just thinking about getting one.
Your whole life revolves around your precious new pup. You have to continuously take care of it and train it so it doesn’t go to the bathroom inside. It wakes you up all hours of the night. When you go to work, you have to put your puppy in a crate so it doesn’t chew your entire living room apart.
Guess what happens when you are done with work?
Your puppy is so excited to see you! But you can’t just flop on the couch and relax… your puppy NEEDS to use the bathroom and run around to get all its energy out.
Now, imagine that your mind is that puppy.
You’ve been working, doing, and going for your entire life keeping your thoughts and feelings in that metaphorical crate. When you take time off, you’re confronted with all of it.
Resting is not a piece of cake
Hustle culture, societal and familial norms, self and other people’s expectations, and basically everything that we’ve been taught since the first grade is to get things done.
Our entire economy is based on labor and output, with one goal in mind: non-stop growth.
Our minds are wired to constantly think about all the things we have to do.
That's why so many people say they feel lazy or behind when they pause, take time off, and rest. And that’s why it feels so much easier to continue to work and stay busy until you basically HAVE to rest (equivalent to burnout).
Now you might have some more clarity around why it’s so difficult to rest. However, logically even when you know something, it can still be incredibly difficult to do
Especially when you are an entrepreneur and you feel like your business will fall apart when you take time away from it. If you feel like this, there are many different things you can do to let go of that misunderstanding. Click here to find out how I can help you create a healthy foundation for you to take time away from your business.
If resting is hard for you and you want to learn more about how our societal norms, capitalism, racism, and the patriarchy impact your ability to rest, follow the nap ministry. They have taught me so much!
What’s possible when you take time for you?
When you pause, take time for yourself, and rest you get to sit with yourself.
You get to notice and feel your feelings.
You get to examine, reflect, acknowledge, and celebrate yourself.
You get to notice what’s going well, and what needs to change.
It might feel like a lot. Just like a real puppy, when it first gets out your thoughts and feelings may feel overwhelming. But by continuing to work and delaying time off, you keep your metaphorical puppy in its crate dying to get out.
That’s why I recommend having someone to support you through this journey.
Curious about what’s waiting on the other side of the initial puppy wild energy?
When you take more time off, you’ll be able to…
Be present for the things that deeply matter to you (your loved ones, your health, etc.)
Regularly feel refreshed, energized, and creative (not only to be more productive later).
Heal any underlying feelings of unworthiness, scarcity, and insufficiency.
Start feeling more fulfilled, alive, and successful.
Shift your mindset around time so every day doesn’t feel like a stressful high-speed race.
Find what being content and at peace looks like to you.
Start believing in things like divine timing and increase your patience.
Begin to feel more confident in yourself and how you spend your time.
Increase your self-trust, self-discipline, and self-love.
The list goes on and on.
However, I always say when you regularly rest and take time for yourself, you begin truly living.
If you want any or all of those things, learning how to take more time off and be with yourself is your answer.
How do you take guilt-free time off?
There are some tangible solutions and non-tangible solutions. And the solutions you need are completely unique to you, your business, and your life.
How you might create more time off and rest without feeling guilty could look like:
Identifying that you have a desire to make more time for yourself.
If you often say or feel, “I never have enough time,” healing a time scarcity mindset.
Setting and keeping firmer boundaries around your time off.
Aligning your schedule and working hours.
Adopting a mindfulness practice to handle the thoughts and feelings that come up when you rest.
If you can’t rest because you need to work to pay the bills, figure out how much money you actually need to create a plan and schedule to reach that number.
Learning how to be more compassionate with yourself because you can’t heal guilt with more guilt.
Planning your time more realistically (no more overcommitting and over-scheduling).
Ask yourself, “What might be my next step so I can rest and reap the benefits of guilt-free time off?”
As a holistic time coach, discovering how to reach your goals and take more guilt-free time off is one of the ways I help the business owners I work with.
If you’re ready to go from "I never have enough time" to at peace and fulfilled with what gets done in your 24 hours, including rest and time off… schedule a free no-pressure consult call now.
The five minute mindfulness meditation for when you feel like quitting
The 5 minute mindfulness meditation for when you feel like quitting
I've 100% had moments that I wanted to quit my business!
I wanted to just run away, throw in the towel, and just, not have to deal with it anymore…
It was just too complicated and too much. If you have been in that situation or if you're in that situation right now, at this moment, I want you to know that it is 100% normal to have this experience when you are starting your business!
I made this 5-minute meditation for you so you can come back to who you are deep down. You can release any of the things that are weighing you down. You can come back to why you started your business in the first place so you can be re-motivated, reinvigorated, reignited in your passions and your drive to change the world + to do amazing things with your business.
If when you feel like quitting or it's just too much for you, come back to this 5-minute meditation, come back to this exercise. Just take a few minutes to go inwards, to breathe, be with yourself. That is the most beautiful thing that you can do to take care of yourself.
For whatever reason, if you feel like quitting your business and you need support. Someone to help you go inwards and figure out what's going on and how to be more intentional with your time so you don't feel so overwhelmed and like it's just too much to handle I’m here to support you.