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What about me? A personal development course for carers in Wales
What about me? A personal development course for carers in Wales

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Session 1: Defining myself and how I feel about my present situation

What is reflection?

Man reflected in mirror
Figure 1.1

Reflection is a process that involves thinking and understanding – an honest exploration and examination of our previous experiences. It is thinking about things you have done and experienced in your life, and working out what you have learned from them so that you can better understand the person you are now, your qualities, what you are capable of and what you want to do. This kind of thinking can be helpful for anyone, at any time of life, whoever you are and whatever situation you are in.

The scope of your reflection can vary. For example, you might want to reflect on what you’ve learned from a recent work placement, caring responsibilities or study experience, or you might want to just take an overview of your life as a whole.

Reflection can be uncomfortable, depending on previous experiences, but it can also be liberating as we develop a better understanding of ourselves and our situation, and can then move forward.

If at any point you feel the course has brought difficult emotions then you can visit Carers.org [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] to find out where your nearest local support service is or to talk to someone online. There are also useful contacts in the Find out more section of this course.