DepthNotes

My Personal Journal of Topics I Love in

Psychiatry, Story, and Soulwork

Self-Reflection

Seeing Yourself, Softly

January 12, 20262 min read

Seeing Yourself, Softly

A small guide for noticing what’s already there

Most of us are taught to approach ourselves like a problem to solve.

Fix this.
Work on that.
Figure it out.

But clarity doesn’t always arrive through effort.
Sometimes it comes through attention.

This guide was created as a quiet pause, not a program, not an assessment, not a plan. Just a moment to notice how you’re moving through the world right now.

No optimizing required.


This Isn’t Therapy. It’s Not Homework.

Inside the guide are simple, reflective questions.
Some may feel familiar. Others may surprise you.

There are no right answers.
No insight to “reach.”
No conclusion you’re meant to land on.

You’re invited to work with the first response that comes to mind, the one that arrives before explanation, before editing, before self-correction.

That’s often where the truest information lives.


A Different Way of Looking

At DepthWorks, self-understanding doesn’t have to be heavy to be meaningful.

You don’t need to excavate your past or analyze your psyche to learn something important about yourself. Sometimes noticing what you’re drawn to, what steadies you, or what keeps repeating quietly is enough.

This guide leans into that gentler approach.

You can use it:

  • With a journal and a cup of coffee

  • On your phone between moments

  • Or alongside simple photographs - a window, a shadow, your hands, the sky

Let images answer where words feel tight.


Why I Created This

I wanted to offer something that felt human and spacious, something that didn’t ask you to become a better version of yourself, but simply to see the one who’s already here.

Because noticing is not passive.
It’s a form of care.


Download the Guide

If this way of reflecting resonates with you, the guide is available below.

Seeing Yourself, Softly
A free, printable reflection guide.

👉 Download the guide

Move slowly. Skip what doesn’t fit. Return when it feels right.

And trust that even a light moment of attention can change the way you see yourself.

reflectionmental healthself-carefree guide
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Meet the author

I’m Patria Alexander, PMHNP-BC

I’m an integrative psychiatric nurse practitioner who believes your mental health care should honor you, your story, your culture, your creativity, and the experiences that have shaped who you are. In our work together, we’ll move beyond symptoms to help you reconnect with your identity through narrative, ritual, and visual reflection, so your healing feels personal and lasting.

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