Reduce feelings of isolation by reflecting on the shared experience of facing challenges with this guided worksheet by Mindful Coaching Tools. Here’s a quick summary of the exercise. See the worksheet for a detailed guide and space for reflection.
Step 1: My experience
Write down a negative experience or situation that is bothering you. It can be something you regret, some mistake, something that causes you anxiety, or anything else that elicits a strong emotional response. These prompts can help guide your reflection.
- What have you experienced that has made you feel alone or cut off from other people?
- What anxiety are you dealing with?
- What situation or experience do you keep re-living in your head?
- What is something you feel embarrassed about?
- What is something you regret?
Step 2: Who else has experienced this?
Do some research online and find out who else has experienced something similar. Use these prompts to write a summary of their experience.
- How does this person describe their experience?
- What feelings does this evoke in them (if they do not mention, try to guess)?
- What did they do in response?
- What did they do to overcome or cope with the situation?
Step 3: Takeaway
Now that you know that there are other people with similar hardships and/or experiences, how do you feel about your own experience? Use the prompts below or write anything else that comes to mind.
- What do you notice is in common with your experience and other people’s experience?
- Are you surprised other people are going through similar experiences?
- How does it feel like to see other people struggling with the same things as you?
- What can you learn from other people’s experiences?
- Now that you know other people are going through the same things, how can you be more kind to yourself? How can you reframe your experience in a kinder way?
This is one of two pages from the worksheet. Download the complete PDF from the Mindful Coaching Tools post.