I am no stranger to times in which I had to take an involuntary timeout, and/or spent moments in isolation.
The first time was when I was a preteen, and my siblings and I were put on punishment for the entire summer because we were playing in the hallway and I kicked a hole in the wall. We literally could not go anywhere or do anything for the entire summer. We even had limited times in which we could watch tv and go outdoors.
The second time was when I moved to DC after graduate school. I was in a new city with little to no friends and no family, so I inadvertently spent a lot of time alone.
The third time was not so long ago when I was unemployed. I would ultimately spend two years without full-time employment. Although I had the support of family and friends, it was still a very isolating time. And because I had limited funds; I spent a lot of time alone in the house.
And now, I’m in my fourth involuntary time out. But this time I’m not alone. We are all taking a collective time out by social distancing and doing our part to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Social distancing has proven itself to be challenging for several reasons. As adults, most of us aren’t used to someone telling us to sit down and stay put. Time outs are often considered a form of punishment because they are enforced by someone else or by proxy of a circumstance. I do not subscribe to the theory that every moment we find ourselves in that is unfavorable, is a direct punishment from God. Sometimes it just is what it is. But there is a wealth of wisdom that can be found in these types of experiences. That’s why I like to call these moments “divine timeouts” so that they are not looked upon as a punishment.
Divine timeouts can be great moments to reflect, reassess, and think about a myriad of things you wouldn’t have otherwise had the time to do. In each of my aforementioned experiences, I learned valuable lessons that had a profound impact and change in my life. Divine timeouts require you to surrender to the time.
Surrender brings you into a greater awareness of yourself and of God. I talked about my first revelation with surrendering to God in this post. Divine moments require you to get to know yourself intimately. In that discovery, you may find out something interesting that you would have not otherwise explored.
A lot of people are spending time with themselves and realizing that they are a stranger to their own being. Many people keep themselves busy and distracted, as a way to not be alone with their thoughts out of fear of what will be revealed.
So during this time, I encourage you to avoid distracting yourself with scrolling through IG, doing Tik Tok dances and challenges, and pour into yourself. I encourage you to take time to get to know yourself intimately during the quarantine. Below are 17 questions that will help you on your journey of self-discovery. Take moments to sit in silence and take inventory of where your mind wanders. Tap into your self-awareness so that you can create edits, make adjustments, and assess your strengths and weaknesses. Allow yourself time to emote and feel a range of emotions and heal from past hurts and traumas. Pray, meditate, and listen for the voice of God to reveal something wondrous about yourself and the future. While things are being stripped away from you, take time to pour into yourself and use this time wisely to grow. I promise you will find out something revelationary if you do.
17 Self Discovery Questions
- What is your highest priority?
- How well do you handle stress and anxiety?
- How do you think other people perceive you?
- How would you like others to perceive you?
- What activity in your life brings you joy?
- What are your best assets or strengthens?
- What are your weaknesses and how can you improve them?
- What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
- How comfortable are you with your own mortality?
- What is your highest core value?
- What is your biggest self-limiting belief?
- Who is the most important person in your life?
- What is something that is true for you no matter what?
- What is your moral compass in making difficult decisions?
- What is one failure that you have turned into your greatest lesson?
- What role does gratitude play in your life?
- What do you believe is the meaning of your life?
Awesome awesome! Divine timeouts i love it!!!
Great tips and a great way to use this time!
Love these questions! Definitely going to have to pop open my journal and answer a few, thank you for providing these prompts -https://callmeaysiab.com
Great questions ! Definitely journal worthy. Thanks for sharing this 🧡
These times have certainly confirmed some things I already knew. It has shocked me to see how far I’ve grown, and a reminder to give myself grace and SPACE when I need it.
I’ve been real introspective lately, Corona will do that to you. I’ll be sure to go through these questions.
This is an awesome way to use this situation to grow. A lot of these questions are the same that I encourage my clients to ask before they enter into a marriage. In that case, you really have to know who you are before you can even think about who you can be for the next person.