𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥.

It hit me recently that for a long time, I never intentionally set aside 5–10 minutes to truly reflect on my day or week. No pause. No processing. No space to understand how things were actually affecting me.

Then I realized something:

🤯I was reflecting — just subconsciously — during my commute.

Those long drives home, mapping my route, turning on good music… that’s when the real reflection kicked in. Random thoughts about what I was anxious about. Replaying conversations. Noticing what felt off. The occasional ah ha moment about something I needed to reset at work or shift in my personal life.

Somewhere in the hellish Boston traffic, I was actually decompressing and making sense of my world without knowing it.

And then COVID happened.

My commute disappeared.

So did my built in two hours a day of natural reflection.

😱Now those same thoughts show up at 2, 3, 4 AM — demanding attention at the worst possible time. And if you think I can be stubborn about a topic, try negotiating with my subconscious at 3 AM when all I want is sleep.

One simple thing that helps:

✅𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.

🎯A notepad, a quick note on your phone — anything that signals, “I hear you, and I’ll handle this.”

Because here’s the truth:

𝐈𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 — usually when we’re trying to rest, focus, or show up for something important.

📊Since realizing this, I’ve been building small reflection windows back into my mornings and afternoons. Just a few minutes to check in with myself. To notice what’s rattling around in my head. To reduce anxiety before it builds. Acknowledge and put it on your to do list so you know it will get addressed, remember you can’t lie to yourself. It will find you early in the morning if you do.

And I hear the same thing from clients preparing for coaching sessions. When they pause — even briefly before we meet to coach this is helpful for them— they uncover what’s really weighing on them. That’s where the breakthroughs come from.

💡Reflection doesn’t require an apple tree moment like Sir Isaac Newton.

It doesn’t require a shower epiphany or a long drive.

It just requires space.

𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤, 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥, 𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭.

Your mind — and your sleep — will thank you.

❓Do you reflect?

❓What’s the space where your best thinking shows up — the car, the shower, the gym, the quiet moments?

❓Or what’s one time your subconscious tapped you on the shoulder with something you needed to hear.