Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UFL chapter.

What is a shadow? It’s something that looks quite a lot like yourself. Just a bit darker. Something that exists as long as the sun shines. It’s inescapable. Metaphorically, shadows represent what’s “negative” and persistent. I say “negative” with massive quotation marks because I think viewing ourselves in such a binary fashion is not the most conducive to self acceptance.  Just like a coin is no more than a disk with two neutral faces, I think we can view who we are as sides of a disco ball, neither facet being better than the other. 

What is shadow work? It’s an idea derived from the psychologist Carl Jung. It sounds ominous, but it’s rather illuminating. It’s all about confronting parts about yourself that you might have been avoiding like flaws, self limiting beliefs or trauma etc. 

Where to begin? Thanks to my degree in Pinterestology, I’ve been compiling some of my favorite shadow work prompts that you may want to try out. I personally like to write down the questions in a journal and answer them that way but of course, nobody’s stopping you from simply pondering these questions over a bowl of cereal in the morning or turning them over in your head while you’re spacing out during lecture (guilty!). I’ve split them up into categories:

Childhood 

  • What was one time you remember feeling wronged as a child? What was your reaction? Do you think this affected you in adulthood? In what way?
  • What did you enjoy as a kid? Do you still do these activities? Why or why not? 
  • What did your childhood self need the most?
  • What would your younger self think about you now? Are they surprised?

Relationships

  • What parts of your life do you project onto others in an unhealthy way?
  • What are your toxic traits in relationships?
  • Everything you want to tell your parents?
  • Who is someone you feel like you’ve wronged? What do you want to tell them?
  • Do you honor the boundaries of those around you?

Self

  • What emotion do you avoid? What would happen if you felt it?
  • What are you most afraid of others finding out about yourself?
  • What are some beliefs you have about yourself? Where do you think they came from? Do you think those around you would agree with these beliefs?

Confidence

  • What made you doubt yourself for the first time?
  • Are there any desires/ambitions you have but are embarrassed to admit? Why do you feel this way?
  • When do you feel best in your skin? Like you’re your truest self?
  • What do you think makes someone beautiful? Do you apply these standards to yourself?

These questions upon first glance are daunting. Self-love sometimes means making yourself uncomfortable. And I believe that to navigate the world around you, you need to start with an understanding of yourself. This journey is a long one, but you know what they say: “A problem understood is a problem half solved.”

Ranya is a junior transfer student at UF and is a staff writer for Her Campus. She's majoring in microbiology and minoring in art history on a pre-med track. She enjoys reading, playing with dogs at the humane society, and playing very mediocre piano. You’d most likely find her picking up a Starbucks drink. She hopes to become a physician and push for female advocacy within healthcare.