reflective essay on stress

Stress and Its Effects on Health Essay

Introduction, physical effects, psychological effects, behavioral effects.

Stress is the emotional strain or tension experienced by an individual due to a reaction toward various demanding and influential situations. The challenging or compelling situations are termed stressors. Stressors can be internal or external and include life changes such as losing a significant figure, low socioeconomic status, relationship problems, occupational challenges, and familial or environmental factors. An individual’s response to stressors influences the outcome of their life. Health is a state of complete social, emotional, and physical well-being and not merely the absence of disease. Stress is a common risk factor for negative health status secondary to negative adaptation and coping with the stressors. Stressors can create a strain on one’s physical, psychological and behavioral well-being, leading to lasting effects that are detrimental to one’s health.

Stress is associated with various physical health impacts on an individual. In an online cross-sectional survey by Keech et al. (2020) to determine the association between stress and the physical and psychological health of police officers, the findings illustrate that stress negatively impacts physical and psychological well-being. One hundred and thirty-four police officers were involved in the study (Keech et al., 2020). The findings demonstrate that stress resulted in various short and long-term physical effects that included increased heart rates, sweating, high blood pressure, and long-term development of the cardiac condition. In addition, stress resulted in the development of gastrointestinal disorders such as peptic ulcer and irritable bowel syndrome. Keech et al. (2020) note that stress’s associated physical health effects are explained by various mechanisms that include overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

Overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system results in increased sympathetic actions on the peripheral body organs leading to increased sweat production, heart rate, respiration rate, and urinary and bowel elimination. The study notes that chronic stress without positive adaptation measures results in the progressive development of hypertension, peptic ulcers, and irritable bowel syndrome as long-term effects (Keech et al., 2020). Within the gastrointestinal tract, chronic stress activity on the sympathetic nervous system results in increased parietal cell action. Overactivity of the parietal cells results in excessive gastric acid production, gradually eroding the mucosa, and ulceration occurs.

The effects of stress on the cardiovascular system are explained in a review by Kivimäki & Steptoe (2017) to determine the impact of stress on the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. In the review, stress is identified to cause cardiovascular conditions secondary to the effects of sustained sympathetic action on heart contractility and peripheral vascular resistance (Kivimäki & Steptoe, 2017). The sympathetic nervous system contributes to normal heart and blood vessel contractility. However, when the system is overstimulated, a surge in contractility above the normal limits ensues, leading to the progressive development of heart conditions.

Psychological well-being incorporates a positive mental health status evidenced by an individual’s satisfaction with life, happiness, rational thinking and decision-making, and positive mood patterns. Stress has been associated with alterations in an individual’s psychological wellness. An explanation for alteration in an individual’s psychological well-being secondary to stress is negative adaptation. Keech et al. (2020) note that an individual’s response to a stressor determines whether stress results in positive or negative effects. In the online cross-sectional survey by Keech et al. (2020), the findings illustrate that pressure resulted in the development of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders as long-term effects among the participants. Exposure to stressful situations resulted in progressively developing anxiety among the individual secondary to persistent worry over the issue. The anxiety results in other physical manifestations, including increased heart rate, palpitations, sweating, and altered mobility. Depression and bipolar conditions were also associated with chronic stress secondary to the impacts of stress on neurotransmitter function and nerves.

Similar findings are noted in a cross-sectional study by Zhang et al. (2020) to compare the prevalence and severity of stress-associated mental health symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and insomnia among healthcare workers during the COVID pandemic. Five hundred and twenty-four healthcare workers were involved in the study. The study findings illustrate that 31.3% of the participants developed depression secondary to the stressful working environment, 41.2% reported anxiety, and 39.3% reported sleep disturbances (Zhang et al., 2020). The scientific explanation for the relationship between stress and depression was attributed to the effects of stressful periods on neurotransmitter homeostasis. Chronic stress results in the altered regulation of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Alterations in serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine resulted in the progressive development of depression and anxiety. Sleep disturbances reported by the participants are attributed to alterations in cortisol hormone homeostasis secondary to overstimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

Stressful situations can also lead to alterations in the behavioral patterns of an individual. The most common behavioral effects secondary to stress include the development of eating disorders, altered sleeping patterns, impaired concentration, and drug abuse especially alcohol. Alterations in sleep and eating patterns are linked to stress’s effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA). Exposure to stressful events leads to increased activation of the HPA axis with a net effect of increased catecholamine production (adrenaline and noradrenaline) (Moustafa et al., 2018). Increased adrenaline and noradrenaline production results in dysregulation in the eating and sleeping patterns. Sustained high levels of cortisol results in difficulty falling asleep and increased metabolic processes. The biological clock regulates the typical sleeping pattern that relies on producing the sleep hormone melatonin. Melatonin production by the pineal gland is regulated indirectly by the concentration of serum cortisol levels and directly by light perception. Imbalances in the serum concentration cycle secondary to stress results in imbalanced melatonin production and concentration with a net effect of sleeping difficulties.

The emotional strain caused by stress increases the risk of alcohol and other illicit drug use and dependence. Moustafa et al. (2018) conducted an integrative literature review to determine the relationship between childhood trauma, early-life stress, alcohol and drug use, addiction, and abuse. The review findings illustrate that stress increases the risk of alcohol and drug use, addiction, and abuse among the victims. An explanation for the increased risk is the individuals’ lack of identification and implementation of effective coping strategies (Moustafa et al., 2018). Lack of effective coping strategies results in maladaptive measures such as illicit drug use and alcohol consumption. Extensive use of the maladaptive measures results in progressive addiction and drug abuse among individuals with an increased predisposition to other health effects. Alcohol consumption and other illicit drug use over time increase the risk of developing cardiac, respiratory, and liver conditions.

Stress is the emotional strain or tension experienced by an individual due to a reaction toward various demanding and influential situations. Individual response to stressors influences their health. Maladaptive response to stress results in various physical, psychological, and behavioral negative effects. Negative effects of stress on physical health include increased heart rates, sweating, high blood pressure, and long-term development of the cardiac condition. Psychological effects include the development of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders. The behavioral effects of stress on an individual include the development of eating disorders, altered sleeping patterns, impaired concentration, and abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Based on the research findings, it is essential for healthcare providers to identify strategic measures and health initiatives to educate and sensitize the community members on effective stress management approaches in all settings to aid in combating the health effects.

Keech, J. J., Cole, K. L., Hagger, M. S., & Hamilton, K. (2020). The association between stress mindset and physical and psychological well being: Testing a stress beliefs model in police officers . Psychology & Health , 35 (11), 1306-1325. Web.

Kivimäki, M., & Steptoe, A. (2017). Effects of stress on the development and progression of cardiovascular disease . Nature Reviews Cardiology , 15 (4), 215–229. Web.

Moustafa, A. A., Parkes, D., Fitzgerald, L., Underhill, D., Garami, J., Levy-Gigi, E., Stramecki, F., Valikhani, A., Frydecka, D., & Misiak, B. (2018). The relationship between childhood trauma, early-life stress, and alcohol and drug use, abuse, and addiction: An integrative review . Current Psychology , 40 (2), 579–584. Web.

Zhang, X., Zhao, K., Zhang, G., Feng, R., Chen, J., Xu, D., Liu, X., Ngoubene-Italy, A. J., Huang, H., Liu, Y., Chen, L., & Wang, W. (2020). Occupational Stress and Mental Health: A comparison between frontline medical staff and non-frontline medical staff during the 2019 novel Coronavirus Disease outbreak . Frontiers in Psychiatry , 11 . Web.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, December 19). Stress and Its Effects on Health. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stress-and-its-effects-on-health/

"Stress and Its Effects on Health." IvyPanda , 19 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/stress-and-its-effects-on-health/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Stress and Its Effects on Health'. 19 December.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Stress and Its Effects on Health." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stress-and-its-effects-on-health/.

1. IvyPanda . "Stress and Its Effects on Health." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stress-and-its-effects-on-health/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Stress and Its Effects on Health." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stress-and-its-effects-on-health/.

• History and Concept of the Psychoneuroimmunology
• Insomnia: Cause and Effect
• Genes, Neurotransmitters, and Emotions
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Its Theories
• Effect of Stress Hormones on Brain Cells
• Pathophysiology of Stress, Processed Foods, and Risky Alcohol Consumption
• Coronary Heart Disease Caused by Stress
• Mood and Stress Psychology: Causes, Effects and Treatments
• Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Regulation
• Jessie as the Most Sympathetic Character of “Night, Mother” by Marsha Norman
• Intergenerational Trauma and Traumatic Memory
• The Lifespan Theory Applied to a Grieving Case
• Psychological Conditions in Addition to Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory
• Self-Control: Individual Development Plan
• Arachnophobia: Systematic Desensitization Project

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• J Gen Intern Med
• v.30(9); 2015 Sep

Reflective Practice and Stress: Helpful, Harmful or Uninfluential in Critical Thinking

Donna m. windish.

Associate Professor of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT USA

Remember the first time you watched a master clinician work through a diagnostic dilemma or clinical unknown case and easily arrive at the correct diagnosis? That person most likely seemed calm with little stress, asked the right questions at the right time, and often reflected on the information they gleaned from the case. If the clinician described how they arrived at their diagnosis, you were probably in awe at how they solved the case using their critical thinking skills. While critical thinking is essential for effective patient care, this highly complex process is not easily taught or measured.

Critical thinking can be seen as having two components: 1) a set of information and belief generating and processing skills, and 2) the habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide behavior. 1 Thus, while possessing medical knowledge is a necessary part of critical thinking, many factors play a role in the process, such as data gathering skills, clinical context, patient preferences, personal reactions to stress and reflective practice. Research demonstrates that some stress and thoughtful reflection are beneficial to the thinking process, 2 – 4 yet there is no consensus on how to positively manage stress or use reflection in daily clinical care. Two articles 5 , 6 in this issue of JGIM explore the areas of stress and reflection on critical thinking among trainees.

The study by Pottier and colleagues 5 explored the role of stressors on a medical student’s history taking, physical examination, and clinical reasoning. The authors performed a study of medical students who participated in two scenarios with standardized patients with familiar disease processes. Students conducted a history and physical exam and were asked to generate a diagnosis with a differential based on the clinical data obtained during the scenario. During their patient encounters, students were presented with two stressors: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic stressors were manifested by the patient’s cooperativeness and mood such that the patient was either: a) aggressive with negativity and lacked confidence in the student’s competence; or b) pleasant without challenges to the student. Intrinsic stressors were defined as stressful components integral to the encounter based on clinical presentation, and were exhibited by a patient with either high clinical severity (dyspnea from an acute pulmonary embolism) or low clinical severity (acute abdominal pain in a relatively healthy patient). Students were randomized to two of four clinical scenarios with a balance of high and low clinical severity in an aggressive or pleasant patient. Subjective stress and anxiety responses were assessed before and after each experience, as were completeness in physical examination, communication skills, diagnostic accuracy and differential diagnosis argumentation. The authors found that each type of stress had a different effect on a student’s anxiety and clinical performance. Results indicated that extrinsic stress increased personal anxiety, but led to more accurately performing the clinical examination and increased interpersonal skills. Intrinsic stress did not change the students’ anxiety, but demonstrated increases in diagnostic accuracy and differential diagnosis scores. The perceived cognitive difficulty of the task was a strong factor in most of the stress and performance variables. When the clinical scenario had high extrinsic and intrinsic stress, students no longer showed improved clinical examination or communication skills. Interestingly, the initial exposure in the first case to extrinsic and intrinsic stress did not influence the outcomes of the second case.

In their work on reflection in decision making, Monteiro and colleagues 6 aimed to examine how a resident’s clinical experience and self-directed decisions to reflect on their diagnosis affected the accuracy of their decisions. Using a randomized mixed design, 47 medical interns and residents were presented with 16 computerized cases where they were given a patient’s primary complaint, medical history, a representative photograph, diagnostic tests and images. On their first review of the case (first pass), trainees were asked to arrive at a diagnosis as fast as they could (presumably their response in the automatic or intuitive, System 1 mode of thinking). On the second pass, residents were then randomly assigned to review either the full case again or a brief description of the case and asked to reflect on their decision and revise their diagnosis (encouraging System 2 mode analytic thinking). Residents arrived at the correct diagnosis in 58-64 % of cases with no significant differences in diagnostic accuracy among the three resident training levels. Only 8 % of diagnoses were revised with minimally significant changes in diagnostic accuracy from the first pass to the second. Having access to the full case on the second pass resulted in a higher rate of diagnosis revision, but did not affect diagnostic accuracy.

Both aforementioned studies explored factors that influence critical thinking, but limitations of these studies should be considered. First, both studies involved trainees and not practicing clinicians with more extensive medical expertise. For the medical students, their limited medical knowledge and clinical experience may have been most influential on their stress and critical thinking, as their perceived cognitive difficulty of the task itself was the greatest predictor in their performance. In the case of the medicine residents, these trainees also appeared to be limited in their medical knowledge, given their low diagnostic accuracy in the study (58-64 % correct diagnoses). Thus, no amount of analytic thinking without access to outside resources may have helped improve their diagnostic thinking. Second, both studies used simulation and not patient encounters. While it is unclear how these results may be extrapolated to performance in actual clinical practice, simulation is successfully used in both teaching and evaluation in lieu of patient interactions.

While these studies have limitations, the topics of stress and reflection in critical thinking are of high interest to clinicians. Similar to what occurs in high performing athletes, the medical literature has suggested that “good” stress can positively influence performance compared to “bad” or no stress. 2 , 3 Thus, just as athletes spend extensive amounts of time training to overcome obstacles and stress, perhaps a part of medical education should involve ways to teach students and residents how to lessen negative stress and improve positive stress. Educating trainees about personal wellness is currently being addressed by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), which requires each residency program to provide resident and faculty education on trainee alertness and fatigue mitigation. 7 Understanding and educating about stress and its impact on clinical care may be as critical as knowledge of fatigue and its effects on personal and professional well-being. As shown in the Pottier article, having good intrinsic stress increased students’ clinical reasoning, while extrinsic stress helped students focus on communication skills. These positive stress effects influenced critical thinking and the outcomes of the clinical encounter. Finding ways in the curriculum to educate medical students about the important connection between communication and critical thinking can be done successfully, as was seen in a preclinical course at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 8 This course found that teaching medical students the integration of communication and clinical reasoning was a viable method to improve therapeutic relationships with patients while reducing the potential for medical error and harm. Perhaps more programs should explore the effects of teaching these skills together as a way to lessen bad stress and improve good stress.

Reflective practice has been described as an essential part of professional competence. 9 It is often considered to be an iterative process that occurs in more senior clinicians, especially when faced with a diagnostically challenging patient. 10 While a divergence of opinion exists regarding whether or not reflective practice is useful or can be taught, educators should consider ways to best foster reflective practice early in clinical training, as it is deliberate practice and reflection that pushes us to be better clinicians and teachers.

Whether reflective practice and stress are helpful, harmful or uninfluential on critical thinking, we should all remember that our goal in medicine is to establish effective therapeutic relationships with patients while reducing diagnostic errors. Recognizing what a patient brings to an encounter with respect to their biological, cultural and psychosocial background is critical in decision making. Understanding how we each react to stressors in a clinical context and how this may negatively or positively influence our medical decision making is as important as understanding our strengths and limitations in our medical knowledge. In addition, reflection in practice, especially when taking the time to gather more information, may be critical to avoiding diagnostic errors and premature closure.

Conflict of Interest

The author declares that she does not have a conflict of interest.

Taking Time for Reflection: Managing Stress With Positive Thinking

Written with contributions by Heidi Carroll, former SDSU Extension Livestock Stewardship Field Specialist & Beef Quality Assurance Coordinator.

Holidays are usually viewed as a joyous time. However, for some families, holidays can be stressful, as finances may be tight, family communication could be lacking or decreased daylight in winters may diminish mood and motivation. Changes in a swine caregiver’s mood, attitude, and behaviors can also begin to impact pigs in their care. Taking time to reflect involves slowing down and focusing on thoughts, feelings and behaviors. In the process, you may remember challenging times, including tough decisions you may have been forced to make about your swine operation. These reflections can help you critically evaluate strategies for the future and recall all the blessings that occurred. Each new day provides blank pages to fill with positive thoughts.

Both farmer welfare and animal welfare are important to the success and sustainability of the livestock industries. Research investigating dairy farmer welfare and animal welfare indicators showed connections between a farmer’s job satisfaction, overall personal welfare and stress level with an animal welfare index. 1 Research of swine caregivers also reveals relationships between a person’s attitudinal and behavioral profile towards pigs with the levels of fear sows show towards humans, which can also negatively impact reproductive performance measures. 2

Recognizing Stress

Knowing that stress impacts each person differently, it can be helpful to monitor your stress signs and symptoms. Where do you feel stress in your body? Do you experience physical signs, such as fatigue, headaches, aches and pains or digestive troubles? Maybe you have other stress signs that are emotional (moodiness, irritability, anger, loneliness, anxiousness, panic), cognitive (forgetful, pessimism, negative thinking, constant worrying) or behavioral (eating too much or too little, concerns with sleep, use of alcohol, drugs or cigarettes). Acknowledging and addressing these signs and symptoms is critical in maintaining a safe workplace for yourself and a good environment for your animals. Furthermore, handler behavior and attitude are shown to impact animal behavior (e.g. fear responses), production (e.g. growth and pigs born per sow, per year) and reproduction. 3

It is important to recognize when you are stressed and determine the triggers that elevate your stress. Reflect upon all aspects of your job. Which parts of your job cause you stress? What stressors are you attempting to manage, and which ones can you control? When we worry about stressors outside of our control, our thoughts can become negative and feel difficult to overcome. Handlers should monitor negative attitudes, as sows especially are sensitive and may become more belligerent and difficult to move as handlers get frustrated. Swine caregivers responsible for euthanasia have a high-stress job. Continued research is shedding light on perceptions of euthanasia and its impacts on the person in the workplace and the need for euthanasia resources to address mental well-being, as euthanasia can be a moral stress. 4,5

If stress is not managed, mental health can decline and become concerning. Producers experience high levels of psychological distress, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms. 6 Of greater concern, suicide rates among those who work in agriculture are estimated to be 1.5 times higher than those who work in other occupations. 7 Overall, chronic stress has taken a toll on farm and ranch families.

Managing Stress Effectively

As you think about the next six to 12 months, determine what you can control. For example, producers can be proactive and may feel more in control by creating and/or updating written emergency action plans and testing equipment for potential natural disasters (e.g. blizzards, floods) or facility issues (e.g. power outages). The positive thinking connected with being prepared contributes to optimism and can be a key aspect of effective stress management. Expecting the best in situations can be extremely challenging if you tend to be pessimistic and look and prepare for the worst. However, positive thinking has many health benefits, including lower rates of depression and psychological distress, improved physical health and better coping skills.

When you have been on a downward spiral of negative thoughts, the practice of positive thinking can seem daunting. Setting small goals is beneficial. Identify an area of your life in which you have negative thoughts and attempt to approach that area in a more positive way. Notice and monitor your thoughts related to that area. When negative thoughts sneak in, try to put a positive spin on the thought. Realize that market prices are out of your control, so stressing over them is fruitless. However, you could set a goal to proactively contract portions of your inputs (e.g. feed) and outputs (e.g. piglets, market hogs) or use risk management strategies to protect farm profits that will allow you to endure low market conditions.

Additional strategies to help manage your stress can include accepting your imperfections and forgiving yourself for hard days when you struggle with your emotions. When overwhelmed with feelings of stress, try not to lose sight of what is most important and respond to others with kindness – both co-workers and family.

Be kind to yourself. Certain times and situations may have been difficult; however, each day of your life is a new blank page to fill. The practice of positive thinking can improve your physical and mental health, and new perspectives and optimism can bring renewed strength to managing stress. Reflect on how daily animal care tasks are going on the farm and discuss ways to minimize stress or create efficiencies. How will you begin to fill those blank pages with positive thoughts?

Learn more about Farm Stress at SDSU Extension and the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center . Learn more about the steps to alleviating stress with this fact sheet, Five Steps to Alleviate Stress .

• Hansen, B.G. & O. Østerås (2019). Farmer welfare and animal welfare- Exploring the relationship between farmer’s occupational well-being and stress, farm expansion and animal welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science , 170, 104741.
• Hemsworth, P.H., J.L. Barnett, G.J. Coleman, & C. Hansen (1989). A study of the relationships between the attitudinal and behavioural profiles of stockpersons and the level of fear of humans and reproductive performance of commercial pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science , 23(4), 301-314.
• Hemsworth, P.H., G.J. Coleman, & J.L. Barnett (1994). Improving the attitude and behaviour of stockpersons towards pigs and the consequences on the behaviour and reproductive performance of commercial pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science , 39(3-4), 349-362.
• Simpson H, Edwards-Callaway LN, Cramer MC, Roman-Muniz IN, Stallones L, Thompson S, Ennis S, Kim E, Pairis-Garcia M. Preliminary Study Exploring Caretaker Perspectives of Euthanasia on Swine Operations. Animals (Basel) , Dec 4;10(12):2296.
• Edwards-Callaway LN, Cramer MC, Roman-Muniz IN, Stallones L, Thompson S, Ennis S, Marsh J, Simpson H, Kim E, Calaba E, Pairis-Garcia M. Preliminary Exploration of Swine Veterinarian Perspectives of On-Farm Euthanasia. Animals (Basel), Oct 19;10(10):1919.
• Bjornestad, A., Cuthbertson, C., & Hendricks, J. (2021). An analysis of suicide risk factors among farmers in the Midwestern United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 3563.
• Peterson, C., Sussell, A., Li, J; Schumacher, K., Yeoman, K., & Stone, D. M. (2020). Suicide rates by industry and occupation – National Violent Death Reporting System, 32 states, 2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69 (3), 57-62.

Related Topics

Recommended content.

SDSU Extension Seeks Participants for Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network Focus Groups

January 28, 2022

SDSU Extension invites individuals involved in farming, ranching and agriculture to participate in a statewide comprehensive needs assessment on farm/ranch stress and mental health.

A Five-Step Approach to Alleviating Farm Stress

Farm stressors can come from many directions including the agricultural system, farm and family finances, mental and physical health challenges, and relationship difficulties. A healthy response to these challenges involves paying attention to the stressors within all of these areas and determining coping strategies that are useful in each area.

How to Write a Reflective Essay

What is a Reflective Essay: Purpose + Importance

Being present is a cornerstone of mindfulness and meditation. You must have often heard that staying in the moment helps you appreciate your surroundings, connects you with people and nature, and allows you to feel whatever emotions you must feel without anxiety. While this is helpful advice as you become more focused and avoid getting lost in thought, how can you truly appreciate the present without reflecting on your past experiences that have led you to the current moment?

We don't say that you should dwell on the past and get carried away with a constant thought process, but hey, hear us out - practice reflective thinking! Think back on your previous life events, paint a true picture of history, and make connections to your present self. This requires you to get a bit analytical and creative. So you might as well document your critical reflection on a piece of paper and give direction to your personal observations. That's when the need for reflective essays steps in!

In a reflective essay, you open up about your thoughts and emotions to uncover your mindset, personality, traits of character, and background. It should include a description of the experience/literature piece as well as explanations of your thoughts, feelings, and reactions. In this article, our essay writer service will share our ultimate guide on how to write a reflective essay with a clear format and  examples that will inspire you.

Reflective Essay Outline

To give you a clear idea of structuring a reflective essay, we broke down the essential steps below. Primarily, the organization is very similar to other types of papers. However, our custom writers got more specific with the outline to ease your writing process.

Reflective Essay Introduction

When wondering how to start a reflective essay, it is no surprise that you should begin writing your paper with an introductory paragraph. So, what's new and different with the reflection essay introduction? Let's dissect:

• Open your intro with an attention-seizing hook that engages your audience into reflective thinking with you. It can be something like: 'As I was sitting on my bed with my notebook placed on my shaky lap waiting for the letter of acceptance, I could not help but reflect, was enrolling in college the path I wanted to take in the future?'
• Provide context with a quick overview of the reflective essay topic. Don't reveal too much information at the start to prevent your audience from becoming discouraged to continue reading.
• Make a claim with a strong thesis statement. It should be a simple explanation of the essay's main point, in this example, a specific event that had a big impact on you.

Reflective Essay Body Paragraphs

The next step is to develop the body of your essay. This section of the paper may be the most challenging because it's simple to ramble and replicate yourself both in the outline and the actual writing. Planning the body properly requires a lot of time and work, and the following advice can assist you in doing this effectively:

• Consider using a sequential strategy. This entails reviewing everything you wish to discuss in the order it occurred. This method ensures that your work is structured and cohesive.
• Make sure the body paragraph is well-rounded and employs the right amount of analysis. The body should go into the effects of the event on your life and the insights you've gained as a consequence.
• Prioritize reflecting rather than summarizing your points. In addition to giving readers insight into your personal experience, a reflective stance will also show off your personality and demonstrate your ability to handle certain challenges.

Reflective Essay Conclusion

The goal of your conclusion should be to tie everything together by summarizing the key ideas raised throughout, as well as the lessons you were able to take away from experience.

• Don't forget to include the reasons for and the methods used to improve your beliefs and actions. Think about how your personality and skills have changed as well.
• What conclusions can you draw about your behavior in particular circumstances? What could you do differently if the conditions were the same in the future?

Remember that your instructor will be searching for clear signs of reflection.

Understanding a Reflection Paper Format

The format of reflective essay greatly differs from an argumentative or research paper. It is more of a well-structured story or a diary entry rife with insight and reflection. You might be required to arrange your essay using the APA style or the MLA format.

And the typical reflection paper length varies between 300 and 700 words, but ask your instructor about the word length if it was assigned to you. Even though this essay is about you, try to avoid too much informal language.

If your instructor asks you to use an APA or MLA style format for reflective essay, here are a few shortcuts:

Reflective Essay in MLA Format

• Times New Roman 12pt font double spaced;
• 1" margins;
• The top right includes the last name and page number on every page;
• Titles are centered;
• The header should include your name, your professor's name, course number, and the date (dd/mm/yy);
• The last page includes a Works Cited.

Reflective Essay in APA Style

• Include a page header on the top of every page;
• Insert page number on the right;
• It should be divided into four parts: Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and References.

Writing Tips for Reflective Essay

You may think we've armed you with enough tips and pointers for reflective writing, but it doesn't stop here. Below we gathered some expert-approved tips for constructing uncontested reflection papers.

• Be as detailed as possible while writing. To make your writing come to life, you should employ several tactics such as symbolism, sentence patterns, etc.
• Keep your audience in mind. The reader will become frustrated if you continue writing in the first person without taking a moment to convey something more important, even though you will likely speak about something from your own perspective.
• Put forth the effort to allow the reader to feel the situation or emotion you are attempting to explain.
• Don't preach; demonstrate. Instead of just reporting what happened, use description appropriately to paint a clear picture of the event or sensation.
• Plan the wording and structure of your reflective essay around a central emotion or subject, such as joy, pleasure, fear, or grief.
• Avoid adding dull elements that can lessen the effect of your work. Why include it if it won't enhance the emotion or understanding you wish to convey?
• There must be a constant sense of progression. Consider whether the event has transformed you or others around you.
• Remember to double-check your grammar, syntax, and spelling.

Ready to Shine a Light on Your Innermost Thoughts?

Order your reflection essays now and let a wider audience hear your unique story

Reflective Essay Topic Ideas

As this essay should be about your own views and experiences, you generally can't use someone else's ideas. But to help you get started, here are some suggestions for writing topics:

• An experience you will never forget.
• The moment you overcame a fear.
• The most difficult choice you had to make.
• A time your beliefs were challenged.
• A time something changed your life.
• The happiest or most frightening moment of your life so far.
• Ways you think you or people can make the world a better place.
• A time you felt lost.
• An introspective look at your choices or a time you made the wrong choice.
• A moment in your life you would like to relive.

You may find it convenient to create a chart or table to keep track of your ideas. Split your chart into three parts:

• In the first column, write key experiences or your main points. You can arrange them from most important to least important.
• In the second column, list your response to the points you stated in the first column.
• In the third column, write what, from your response, you would like to share in the essay.

Meanwhile, if you're about to enroll in your dream university and your mind is constantly occupied with - 'how to write my college admissions essay?', order an academic essay on our platform to free you of unnecessary anxiety.

Reflective Essay Sample

Referring to reflective essay examples can help you a lot. A sample can provide you with useful insight into how your essay should look like. You can also buy an essay online if you need one customized to your specific requirements.

How to Conclude a Reflective Essay

As we come to an end, it's only logical to reflect on the main points discussed above in the article. By now, you should clearly understand what is a reflective essay and that the key to writing it is demonstrating what lessons you have taken away from your experiences and why and how these lessons have shaped you. It should also have a clear format, with an opening, development of ideas, and resolution.

Now that you have the tools to create a thorough and accurate reflective paper, you might want to hand over other tasks like writing definition essay examples to our experienced writers. In this case, feel free to buy an essay online on our platform and reflect on your past events without worrying about future assignments!

Want to Easily Impress Your Professors?

Count on the support of our professional writers for a top-notch academic paper

Related Articles

📕 Studying HQ

Ultimate guide to writing a reflective essay, carla johnson.

• June 14, 2023
• Essay Topics and Ideas , How to Guides

Writing about yourself is a powerful way to learn and grow as a person. It is a type of writing that makes you think about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences and how they have affected your personal and professional growth. A reflective essay is a type of writing that lets you talk about your own experiences, thoughts, and insights. In this article , we’ll tell you everything you need to know about writing a reflective essay, from how to define it and figure out what it’s for to how to do it well.

What You'll Learn

Definition of a Reflective Essay

A reflective essay is a type of writing in which you write about your own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It is a type of personal writing that lets you talk about your own thoughts and experiences and share them with other people. Students are often asked to write reflective essays for school, but they can also be used for personal or professional growth.

Purpose of a Reflective Essay

The goal of a reflective essay is to get you to think about your life and how it has affected your personal and professional growth. Reflective essays can help you learn more about yourself and your experiences, as well as find places where you can grow and improve. They can also help you get better at writing and better at getting your ideas across.

Importance of Reflective Writing

Writing about yourself and your work is an important way to grow personally and professionally. It can help you learn more about yourself, figure out where you need to grow and change, and learn more about how you think and feel. Writing about yourself can also help you get better at critical thinking and analysis , and it can help you get your ideas across better. It is a useful tool for anyone who wants to grow personally and professionally, and it can be used in many different situations, from academic writing to keeping a personal journal.

Writing about yourself and your work is a powerful way to grow personally and professionally. Reflective essays give you a chance to think about your own life and how it has affected your personal and professional growth. By writing about your thoughts and feelings, you can learn more about them, find ways to grow and improve, and improve your writing and communication skills . In the next parts of this article, we’ll show you how to write a good reflective essay step by step, from choosing a topic and organizing your thoughts to writing and revising your essay.

Elements of a Reflective Essay

A reflective essay is a type of writing that allows you to reflect on your personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings. There are several essential elements that should be included in a reflective essay to ensure that it is effective in conveying your personal reflections and experiences.

Personal Reflection

The first essential element of a reflective essay is personal reflection. This involves exploring your own thoughts and feelings about the experience you are reflecting on. It is important to be honest and open about your thoughts and feelings, as this will make your essay more authentic and meaningful.

Description of the Experience

The second element of a reflective essay is a description of the experience that you are reflecting on. This includes providing details about the experience, such as where it took place, who was involved, and what happened. The description should be clear and concise, and should provide enough detail for the reader to understand the context of your reflection.

Analysis of the Experience

The third element of a reflective essay is analysis of the experience. This involves exploring the experience in more depth, and examining your thoughts and feelings about it. You should consider what you learned from the experience, and how it impacted your personal and professional growth .

Evaluation of the Experience

The fourth element of a reflective essay is evaluation of the experience. This involves examining the experience from different perspectives, and considering its strengths and weaknesses. You should reflect on what you would do differently if you were in the same situation again, and how you could improve your response or approach.

Identification of Key Learning

The fifth element of a reflective essay is identifying the key learning that you gained from the experience. This involves reflecting on the insights and lessons that you learned from the experience, and how these have impacted your personal and professional growth. This can include new skills, knowledge, or perspectives that you gained from the experience.

Planning for Future Action

The final element of a reflective essay is planning for future action. This involves considering how you can apply the lessons and insights gained from the experience to improve your future actions. You should reflect on how you can use what you learned to approach similar situations differently in the future.

How to Write a Reflective Essay

Writing a reflective essay can be a challenging task, but by following a few simple steps, you can write an effective and meaningful essay .

Steps for Writing a Reflective Essay:

1. Brainstorming and Selecting a Topic

Begin by brainstorming and selecting a topic for your reflective essay. Think about a personal experience or event that had a significant impact on your personal or professional growth.

2. Creating an Outline

Create an outline for your essay . This should include an introduction, body, and conclusion, as well as sections for each of the essential elements described above.

3. Writing the Introduction

Write the introduction for your essay . This should include a brief overview of the experience that you will be reflecting on, as well as the purpose and focus of your essay.

4. Writing the Body

Write the body of your essay, which should include the personal reflection, description of the experience, analysis of the experience, evaluation of the experience, identification of key learning, and planning for future action . Make sure to use specific examples and details to support your reflection.

5. Writing the Conclusion

Write the conclusion for your essay , which should summarize the key points of your reflection and provide closure for the reader. You can also include a final reflection on the experience and what it means to you.

6. Revising and Editing

Pay close attention to grammar, spelling, and sentence structure as you reread and edit your essay . Make sure your essay is easy to read and flows well. You might also want someone else to look over your essay and give you feedback and ideas.

If you follow these steps, you should be able to write a good reflective essay. Remember to be honest and open about your thoughts and feelings, and to support your reflection with specific examples and details. You can become a good reflective writer with practice , and you can use this skill to help your personal and professional growth.

Reflective Essay Topics

Reflective essays can be written on a wide range of topics, as they are based on personal experiences and reflections. Here are some common categories of reflective essay topics:

Personal Experiences

– A time when you overcame a personal challenge

– A difficult decision you had to make

– A significant event in your life that changed you

– A moment when you learned an important lesson

– A relationship that had a significant impact on you

Professional Experiences

– A challenging project or assignment at work

– A significant accomplishment or success in your career

– A time when you had to deal with a difficult colleague or boss

– A failure or setback in your career and what you learned from it

– A career change or transition that had a significant impact on you

Academic Experiences

– A challenging course or assignment in school

– A significant accomplishment or success in your academic career

– A time when you struggled with a particular subject or topic and how you overcame it

– A research project or paper that had a significant impact on you

– A teacher or mentor who had a significant impact on your academic career

Cultural Experiences

– A significant trip or travel experience

– A significant cultural event or celebration you participated in

– A time when you experienced culture shock

– A significant interaction with someone from a different culture

– A time when you learned something new about a different culture and how it impacted you

Social Issues

– A personal experience with discrimination or prejudice

– A time when you volunteered or worked for a social cause or organization

– A significant event or moment related to a social issue (e.g. protest, rally, community event)

– A time when you had to confront your own biases or privilege

– A social issue that you are passionate about and how it has impacted you personally

Reflective Essay Examples

Example 1: Reflecting on a Personal Challenge

In this reflective essay, the writer reflects on a personal challenge they faced and how they overcame it. They explore their thoughts, feelings, and actions during this time, and reflect on the lessons they learned from the experience.

Example 2: Reflecting on a Professional Experience

In this reflective essay, the writer reflects on a challenging project they worked on at work and how they overcame obstacles to successfully complete it. They explore their thoughts and feelings about the experience and reflect on the skills and knowledge they gained from it.

Example 3: Reflecting on an Academic Assignment

In this reflective essay, the writer reflects on a challenging academic assignment they completed and how they overcame difficulties to successfully complete it. They explore their thoughts and feelings about the experience and reflect on the skills and knowledge they gained from it.

Example 4: Reflecting on a Cultural Experience

In this reflective essay, the writer reflects on a significant cultural experience they had, such as traveling to a new country or participating in a cultural event. Theyexplore their thoughts and feelings about the experience, reflect on what they learned about the culture, and how it impacted them personally.

Example 5: Reflecting on a Social Issue

In this reflective essay, the writer reflects on their personal experiences with discrimination or prejudice and how it impacted them. They explore their thoughts and feelings about the experience, reflect on what they learned about themselves and the issue, and how they can take action to address it.

These examples demonstrate how reflective essays can be used to explore a wide range of personal experiences and reflections. By exploring your own thoughts and feelings about an experience, you can gain insights into your personal and professional growth and identify areas for further development . Reflective writing is a powerful tool for self-reflection and personal growth, and it can be used in many different contexts to help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you.

Reflective Essay Outline

A reflective essay should follow a basic outline that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. Here is a breakdown of each section:

Introduction: The introduction should provide an overview of the experience you will be reflecting on and a preview of the key points you will be discussing in your essay .

Body: The body of the essay should include several paragraphs that explore your personal reflection, description of the experience, analysis of the experience, evaluation of the experience, identification of key learning, and planning for future action.

Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the key points of your reflection and provide closure for the reader.

Reflective Essay Thesis

A reflective essay thesis is a statement that summarizes the main points of your essay and provides a clear focus for your writing. A strong thesis statement is essential for a successful reflective essay, as it helps to guide your writing and ensure that your essay is focused and coherent.

Importance of a Strong Thesis Statement

A strong thesis statement is important for several reasons. First, it provides a clear focus for your writing, which helps to ensure that your essay is coherent and well-organized. Second, it helps to guide your writing and ensure that you stay on topic throughout your essay . Finally, it helps to engage your reader and provide them with a clear understanding of what your essay is about.

Tips for Writing a Thesis Statement

To write a strong thesis statement for your reflective essay, follow these tips:

– Be clear and concise: Yourthesis statement should clearly state the main focus and purpose of your essay in a concise manner.

– Use specific language: Use specific language to describe the experience you will be reflecting on and the key points you will be discussing in your essay .

– Make it arguable: A strong thesis statement should be arguable and provide some insight or perspective on the experience you are reflecting on.

– Reflect on the significance: Reflect on the significance of the experience you are reflecting on and why it is important to you.

Reflective Essay Structure

The structure of a reflective essay is important for ensuring that your essay is well-organized and easy to read. A clear structure helps to guide the reader through your thoughts and reflections, and it makes it easier for them to understand your main points.

The Importance of a Clear Structure

A clear structure is important for several reasons. First, it helps to ensure that your essay is well-organized and easy to read. Second, it helps to guide your writing and ensure that you stay on topic throughout your essay. Finally, it helps to engage your reader and provide them with a clear understanding of the key points you are making.

Tips for Structuring a Reflective Essay

To structure your reflective essay effectively, follow these tips:

– Start with an introduction that provides an overview of the experience you are reflecting on and a preview of the key points you will be discussing in your essay .

– Use body paragraphs to explore your personal reflection, description of the experience, analysisof the experience, evaluation of the experience, identification of key learning, and planning for future action. Ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus and supports your thesis statement .

– Use transition words and phrases to connect your paragraphs and make your essay flow smoothly.

– End your essay with a conclusion that summarizes the key points of your reflection and provides closure for the reader.

– Consider using subheadings to organize your essay and make it more structured and easy to read.

By following these tips, you can create a clear and well-structured reflective essay that effectively communicates your personal experiences and reflections. Remember to use specific examples and details to support your reflection, and to keep your focus on the main topic and thesis statement of your essay .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. what is a reflective essay.

A reflective essay is a type of writing that allows you to reflect on your personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings. It involves exploring your own thoughts and feelings about an experience, and reflecting on what you learned from it.

2. What are the elements of a reflective essay?

The essential elements of a reflective essay include personal reflection, description of the experience, analysis of the experience, evaluation of the experience, identification of key learning, and planning for future action.

3. How do I choose a topic for a reflective essay?

To choose a topic for a reflective essay, think about a personal experience or event that had a significant impact on your personal or professional growth. You may also consider professional experiences, academic experiences, cultural experiences, or social issues that have impacted you personally.

Reflective writing is a powerful tool for personal and professional development. By exploring your own thoughts and feelings about an experience, you can gain insights into your personal and professional growth and identify areas for further development. To write an effective reflective essay, it is important to follow a clear structure, use specific examples and details to support your reflection, and stay focused on the main topic and thesis statement of your essay . By following these tips and guidelines, you can become a skilled reflective writer and use this tool to improve your personal and professional growth.

Start by filling this short order form order.studyinghq.com

And then follow the progressive flow. 

Having an issue, chat with us here

Cathy, CS. 

New Concept ? Let a subject expert write your paper for You​

Have a subject expert write for you now, have a subject expert finish your paper for you, edit my paper for me, have an expert write your dissertation's chapter, popular topics.

Business StudyingHq Essay Topics and Ideas How to Guides Samples

• Nursing Solutions
• Study Guides
• Free Study Database for Essays
• Privacy Policy
• Writing Service 
• Discounts / Offers 

Study Hub: 

• Studying Blog
• Topic Ideas 
• How to Guides
• Business Studying 
• Nursing Studying 
• Literature and English Studying

Writing Tools  

• Citation Generator
• Topic Generator
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Conclusion Maker
• Research Title Generator
• Thesis Statement Generator
• Summarizing Tool
• Terms and Conditions
• Confidentiality Policy
• Cookies Policy
• Refund and Revision Policy

Our samples and other types of content are meant for research and reference purposes only. We are strongly against plagiarism and academic dishonesty. 

Contact Us:

📧 [email protected]

📞 +15512677917

2012-2024 © studyinghq.com. All rights reserved

• Essay Guides
• Main Academic Essays

How to Write a Reflective Essay: A Quick Guide + Examples

• Speech Topics
• Basics of Essay Writing
• Essay Topics
• Other Essays
• Research Paper Topics
• Basics of Research Paper Writing
• Miscellaneous
• Chicago/ Turabian
• Data & Statistics
• Methodology
• Admission Writing Tips
• Admission Advice
• Other Guides
• Student Life
• Studying Tips
• Understanding Plagiarism
• Academic Writing Tips
• Basics of Dissertation & Thesis Writing

• Research Paper Guides
• Formatting Guides
• Basics of Research Process
• Admission Guides
• Dissertation & Thesis Guides

Table of contents

Use our free Readability checker

A reflective essay is a type of writing where you explore how an event, experience, or concept has influenced your development or perspective. It involves deep thinking, self-analysis, and personal reflection. In a reflective essay, you explai what you learned and how you changed as a result of that experience.

In this article, you will learn how to write a reflective essay, and how to highlight impactful experiences. A reflection essay seems easy as you don’t have to defend one’s point of view or convince the reader of something. But it has its challenges, so we recommend to keep on reading and find out everything you need to know about this type of essay. More complex examples are available down below.

What Is a Reflective Essay: Definition

A good question to start with is, “What is a reflective essay?” A reflective essay is a type of academic writing, in which the student has to test personal life experience/position towards a particular topic. Unlike in argumentative writing, the student does not have to defend the personal position. It does not require a complicated, professional language with some terminology. Do not define something - focus on sharing personal life experience, skills, development, and the most vivid examples to illustrate the topic.

Reflective Essay Format

A reflection essay student writes to meet the college writing standards has a different format from the one a magazine writer should present to reach the issue’s audience. However, each reflective paper has a similar outline. Reflective essay format depends on the general requirements your teacher provides. Some of them can ask for a specific format for your essay. APA writing style , MLA, and Chicago are the basic formats you can use. But if you don’t know exactly which formatting to use, you can use reflective essay apa format. This is the most common college essay format, so knowing its requirements is critical: Font:  Times New Roman, 12 points Interval:  Double interval Margins:  1 inch all round Page Numbers:  Insert a title in the upper left corner of each page.  

Reflective Essay Outline and Structure

Knowing how to write a reflective essay is essential. Even if you feel confident about your thoughts and knowledge, don’t start your writing without a clear and well-designed plan. Without logical essay structure , your essay will likely achieve lower marks. To avoid this situation, follow 10 easy steps we provided below. The first thing every student needs to understand how to write a good reflective essay is an effective, detailed outline. It has 3 typical sections: introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Writing a reflective essay does not require any references – the only person to refer is the student who decides to share his thoughts & ideas. Let’s look at 4 main reasons to include an outline of reflective essays.  

• An outline assists in laying out the details the student wants to leave after narrowing down the draft before working on the final paper. It prevents them from concluding the essay by realizing something is missing.
• An outline provides a clear, concise roadmap, which prevents the writer from taking curvy paths and facing dead ends. It shows the way like a compass in the woods.
• An outline helps to save a lot of time.
• An outline helps the potential readers, including teachers & classmates, to avoid falling off the main point when reading the essay partially.

Reflective essay outline is not much different from other types of essays. Use this reflective essay template in creating your perfect reflective essay:

How to Start a Reflective Essay: Creating an Introduction

Let’s figure out how to write a reflective essay introduction. Start with stating the primary focus of the personal reflection. Avoid being indirect and covering a range of topics; stay direct and concise by underlining the basic purpose of sharing a life experience. Professional Opinion:

“Giving a preview of the most exciting part of the story is a clue. The target reader may lack time to read the full piece from cover to cover. “There are many things I have learned from Marketing class. The most valuable lesson I have obtained is checking the effectiveness of 2 different approaches or services through utilizing so-called A/B testing.” It will make the reader think about what is special about this specific method. The reader will go on reading the body paragraphs to find out!” Professor Hemsworth, History & Anthropology teacher and academic writer at StudyCrumb

Another way to attract attention in the introductory paragraph is to come up with the intriguing hook for essay sentences like statistics, fact, quote, metaphor, rhetorical question, or joke. It depends on the mood of your reflective narrative.

Working on Reflective Essay Thesis

Some people may say that a reflective essay does not need a thesis. However, the example shared in the previous section talking about introduction is an example of the inspiring thesis statement. Include at least a reflective summary of the primary idea. The best idea would be to focus on previewing the peak of the plot development or highlighting the most valuable lesson learned. Let’s take a look at this little reflective essay thesis sample.

If you find it challenging, rely on our  professional essay writing service  and have your reflective essay done with academic standards in mind. 

Writing a Reflection Essay Body Paragraph

What is the purpose of a body paragraph ? The body paragraphs of the reflective analysis interpret the way the author evolved or what he/she has absorbed from a particular life lesson (mention 3 different lessons). When writing your reflective essay you should mention the circumstances that forced you to pass a certain way. If you study a subject like English Literature or Arts, the paper’s prompt may ask you to describe how you changed as a field professional during the course of study. It is important to choose a specific interval of time to list the improvements. Compare & contrast the initial skills to the knowledge you have today. It is a great idea to tell the audience the ways various tasks, challenges, and lessons made the author grow since the beginning of his education. There is no need to conduct research to collect the supporting evidence. The author alone is responsible for defending every stated claim with the help of vivid samples that describe the topic the best. Example: In case the student has become more professional in the field of writing, he should list the causes of those changes (new English teacher, more practice at home, part-time job related to the field of writing). Who knows – some of the ideas may be used by other students to succeed!  

How to Write a Reflective Essay Conclusion

The question of how to end a reflection paper is not less important. The last challenge is to prepare an impressive, inspiring, and powerful conclusion, which will make the target readers want to develop the same positive way. Write a reflective summary regarding the way you have changed over a given period of time. Share some forecast by looking ahead: how the experiences listed in the essay would influence further personal development. By looking at the past events, decide which of them was the most important. The good idea is to compare & contrast past and future events to stress the gaps between the obtained skills and experience, possibly gained in the future. Don't want to bother with writing any conclusions? Use a summary maker to generate e reflective essay conlusion in seconds.

How to Write a Reflective Essay: 10 Easy Steps

Writing personal reflection helps students to stress their individuality by highlighting various skills, knowledge, behavior, feelings, and even mood. The purpose of writing a reflective essay is to show how the person changed over time and what factors played an important role in those metamorphoses. Keep on reading this section to learn steps that will make your reflective writing perfect. Step 1:  Think of the questions that interest you the most. It may be your experience, feelings, or an event in life. Make sure you analyzed the question well. Check credible sources and collect relevant information. Step 2:  Decide what you want to write about. Make sure you know how to title an essay . Identify the topic. Step 3:  After you decided on a topic, create an appealing title that will entice readers. Make sure your title is clear and to the point. Step 4:  Create an outline of your essay. Step 5:  Create an attention-grabbing hook for reflective essay. It should be some intriguing sentence or phrase that will arouse the interest of your readers. Step 6:  Create an introduction of your reflection paper. Step 7:  Think what you will include in the main body of your text. Start writing your body paragraphs. Step 8:  Diversify your text with all the necessary details to make your readers see a clear picture of the environment in your story. It can be some place, people, atmosphere, etc. Step 9:  After the reader is already familiar with the setting and characters, you should tell about yourself. What were your feelings? How has the situation affected you? What did you learn from this situation? Step 10:  Conclude your reflective essay. Briefly summarize all the points that were mentioned in your text and provide a short moral with recommendations. You can use these steps as a checklist for your writing process. In case you need another step-by-step guide on response essays  or any other type of writing, we've got you covered.

>> Read more: How to Write Essays

Reflective Essays Sample From Successful College Students

No recommendations, tips & tricks help the students to understand the way a particular assignment should look like in the end as effectively as the examples. The article contains one of the up-to-date reflective essay examples from a college student.

Writing a Reflective Essay: Bottom Line

Congratulations, we have learned how to write a reflective essay. We really do hope that our guidelines, tips, and examples were useful to you. Now, you can definitely work on your reflection assignment with a clear understanding of its structure and main points. So start your writing, and the sky's the limit! 

In case you need more writing tips, feel free to browse our Blog. Be it a diagnostic essay , a synthesis essay  or a response paper , we have tutorials for any type of writing. 

Consider  buying essay papers  in case you've got other plans for the evening. Submit your details to StudyCrumb and get an astounding paper written in line with your requirements. Your assigned writer will handle any assignment with a blink of an eye!

Frequently Asked Questions about Writing a Reflective Essay

1. what is a common mistake when writing a reflective essay.

A common mistake when writing a reflective essay is to drift away from the subject you're writing about. It usually happens when you don’t stick to your initial plan. So plan your writing well and if you feel that you go a bit off topic, be sure that you return to the same topic you originally discussed.

2. What is the purpose of writing a reflective essay?

The purpose of writing a reflective essay is to make a student write about their personal experience, explore it, reflect on it and find positive and negative aspects. The goal is to analyze how a student changed due to this experience and what made them change. What lesson a student learned is an essential point in persuasive writing.

3. How to write a reflective essay on a book?

If you are writing a reflective essay on a book, the main task is to show your teacher how you reflect on a chosen book, how you understand the problem presented by an author. To create a good essay, start with brief information about the author. Then, without spoilers, briefly summarize the main points of a book. After that explain the main conflicts, share your impressions. Ask questions like: “What are the peculiarities of the main characters?”, “What did an author want to say by indicating the main issues?”

Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

You may also like

• For the Ladies
• For the Gentlemen

Self-Reflection for Stress Management and Mental Health

Self-reflection is a powerful tool that can help individuals manage stress, improve their mental health, and cultivate greater resilience. Here are some tips for using self-reflection to manage stress and improve your mental health:

Identify stress triggers: Use self-reflection to identify the people, situations, or circumstances that trigger stress in your life. This can help you avoid or manage these triggers more effectively.

Recognize negative thought patterns: Negative thought patterns can contribute to stress and anxiety. Use self-reflection to identify these patterns and challenge them with positive, realistic thoughts.

Practice self-compassion: Self-compassion involves treating yourself with kindness and understanding, even when you make mistakes. Use self-reflection to cultivate greater self-compassion and reduce self-criticism and negative self-talk.

Prioritize self-care: Self-care is essential for managing stress and maintaining good mental health. Use self-reflection to identify the self-care practices that work best for you, and make them a priority in your daily routine.

Set realistic goals: Setting unrealistic goals can contribute to stress and anxiety. Use self-reflection to set realistic goals that are aligned with your values and priorities, and celebrate your progress along the way.

Seek support: Self-reflection can also help you identify when you need support from others. Don't hesitate to reach out to friends, family, or mental health professionals when you need help managing stress or improving your mental health.

In conclusion, self-reflection is an effective tool for managing stress and improving mental health. By using self-reflection to identify stress triggers, recognize negative thought patterns, practice self-compassion, prioritize self-care, set realistic goals, and seek support when needed, individuals can cultivate greater resilience and well-being.

Leave a comment

Need more info.

• Let's Connect!
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions

Reflective Goal Setting for Managing Stress and Enhancing Coping

How Can the Model Help Students Manage the Stress of Their Final Year of University?

• First Online: 09 June 2022

Cite this chapter

• Cheryl J. Travers 2  

708 Accesses

Many reflective goal setters have chosen to work on stress-related goals; successfully developing skills to cope with the pressures of university and take forward into their working lives. This chapter focuses on the experiences of final year business school undergraduate students and shows how Reflective Goal Setting can be used successfully in the management of stress and development of effective coping.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Abouserie, R. (1994). Sources and levels of stress in relation to locus of control and self-esteem in university students. Educational Psychology, 14 (3), 323–330.

Article   Google Scholar  

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2016). Job demands-resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22 , 273–285.

Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory. American Psychologist, 44 (9), 1175–1184.

Burton, C. M., & King, L. A. (2009). The health benefits of writing about positive experiences: The role of broadened cognition. Psychology & Health, 24 (8), 867–879.

Cotton, S. J., Dollard, M. F., & De Jonge, J. (2002). Stress and student job design: Satisfaction, well-being, and performance in university students. International Journal of Stress Management, 9 (3), 147–162.

Dollard, M., Winefield, H. R., & Winefield, A. (2001). Occupational strain and efficacy in human service workers: When the rescuer becomes the victim . Springer Science & Business Media.

Book   Google Scholar  

Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92 (6), 1087–1101.

Durand-Bush, N., McNeill, K., Harding, M., & Dobransky, J. (2015). Investigating stress, psychological well-being, mental health functioning, and self-regulation capacity among university undergraduate students: Is this population optimally functioning? Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 49 (3).

Google Scholar  

Kannangara, C. S., Allen, R. E., Waugh, G., Nahar, N., Khan, S. Z. N., Rogerson, S., & Carson, J. (2018). All that glitters is not grit: Three studies of grit in university students (Vol. 9, p. 1539). Frontiers in Psychology .

Lazarus R. S., & Folkman S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal and Coping . New York: Springer.

Luszczynska, A., & Schwarzer, R. (2005). The role of self-efficacy in health self-regulation. In W. Greve, K. Rothermund, & D. Wentura (Eds.), The adaptive self: Personal continuity and intentional self-development (pp. 137–152). Hogrefe & Huber Publishers.

Pennebaker, J. W., & Seagal, J. D. (1999). Forming a story: The health benefits of narrative. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55 , 1243–1254.

Pitt, A., Oprescu, F., Tapia, G., & Gray, M. (2018). An exploratory study of students’ weekly stress levels and sources of stress during the semester. Active Learning in Higher Education, 19 (1), 61–75.

Reddy K. J., Menon, K.. R., Thattil, A. (2018), Academic Stress and its Sources Among University Students. Biomed Pharmacol Journal, 11 (1).

Schuler, R. S. (1979). Managing stress means managing time. Personnel Journal, 58 , 851–854.

Tofi, T., Flett, R., & Timutimu-Thorpe, H. (1996). Problems faced by pacific island students at university in New Zealand: Some effects on academic performance and psychological wellbeing. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 31 (1), 51–59.

Travers, C. (2011). Unveiling a reflective diary methodology for exploring the lived experiences of stress and coping. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79 (1), 204–216.

Travers, C. J., & Cooper, C. L. (1991). Stress and status in teaching: An investigation of potential gender-related relationships. Women in Management Review, 6 (4).

Travers, C. J., & Cooper, C. L. (1993). Mental health, job satisfaction and occupational stress among UK teachers. Work & Stress, 7 (3), 203–219.

Travers, C. J., & Cooper, C. L. (1996). Teachers under pressure. Stress in the teaching profession . Routledge.

Webb, E., Ashton, C. H., Kelly, P., & Kamali, F. (1996). Alcohol and drug use in UK university students. The Lancet, 348 (9032), 922–925.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

Cheryl J. Travers

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cheryl J. Travers .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Travers, C.J. (2022). Reflective Goal Setting for Managing Stress and Enhancing Coping. In: Reflective Goal Setting. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99228-6_10

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99228-6_10

Published : 09 June 2022

Publisher Name : Palgrave Pivot, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-030-99227-9

Online ISBN : 978-3-030-99228-6

eBook Packages : Behavioral Science and Psychology Behavioral Science and Psychology (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research