According to the latest issue of Wired magazine, introspection is “in.” In contrast to the tech world’s recent outward-facing, move-fast-and-break-things spirit, the trend now leans toward looking inward for insights, ideas and answers. This might be great news for introverts, even those culturally very far from Silicon Valley or similar tech hot spots. Perhaps this news foretells greater respect for introverts’ natural tendencies toward contemplation, reticence, privacy and self-awareness.
Besides being enjoyable on its own for those who like to sit and think, introspection has a number of important benefits. Not only is it a method for knowing oneself, it can foster originality, surface perceptive observations about others and contribute to wiser decisions.
If you want to jump on the introspection bandwagon, here is a primer on how to get started.
Introspection involves paying attention to what’s inside of you. Some people find meditation is their ideal vehicle for traveling inward. Thoughts that drift by while one is counting breaths or repeating a mantra might reveal a significant pattern. In addition, the habit of sitting quietly in a mode of non-attachment often sets the stage for valuable insights to float into the mind during the rest of the day.
Depending on the intention driving it, writing in a journal can also promote introspection. Don’t vent when you journal or simply record what happened day by day. Instead, explore. What are some underlying factors in what’s been going on around you? How does one issue you’ve been tussling with relate to another one? How are you living your values and how are you not? What would you like to change about yourself and why? What are you most afraid of? And so on.
Just walking alone and thinking, or thinking while chopping wood, kneading bread or doodling on your telephone bill can amount to introspection, too. Generally this works best without specific effort. While humming along in neutral, you allow things to well up and swirl around. You can also set a problem before your mind and then let go, allowing your subconscious mind to send you a surprising solution or a juicy insight when you least expect it.
Perhaps talking something through with a close, trusted friend who patiently waits while you pause to reflect is another method of introspection. The other person’s presence and mindful listening help you break out of a repetitive loop where you go over the same thoughts or feelings again and again.
Although you may choose to share selections from your meditations, journaling or thinking sessions with followers or the public, introspection should be primarily for yourself. Spewing thoughts onto social media doesn’t count as introspection, because having readers, listeners or viewers brings in the element of posturing or performance. Chances are, part of you would be tracking how you are coming across to others and modifying your thinking accordingly.
Introspection can help you become more yourself and less of a mirror of others. It can boost your emotional intelligence, bring greater clarity into your life, empower you to act consistently with your values and enhance contentment. It provides a key counterbalance to society’s pressures to do, do, do.
Just make sure you engage in introspection in a spirit of curiosity and wonder. As an introvert, you’ll get hooked – healthily so. As Aristotle wrote thousands of years ago, “The pleasures arising from thinking and learning will make us think and learn all the more.”