During a tutorial, my tutor suggested an extended version of the test where others read my daily diary. Following the Autoethnography method, I meticulously recorded every detail of events around me from the 7th to the 11th. As this data was entirely personal, it was convenient for me to gather, though I doubted others would willingly undergo the same test.

I started by jotting down the time, events, and my thoughts/feelings on a notepad, later organizing them into tables on Notion. The analysis took place after the five-day period.

Initially, I found it challenging, having to document every small detail. Sometimes, I caught myself mindlessly browsing shopping apps. Fortunately, even this seemingly mundane behavior yielded insights upon analysis. Particularly challenging was the inability to record during in-depth conversations with friends. In these cases, I had to rely on memory to recall the topics we discussed.

Honesty played a crucial role in this process. It compelled me to confront things I had previously avoided, such as acknowledging discomfort at a friend's party due to language barriers.

Here is part of my Autoethnography Recording：

After concluding the recording and review I analysed it.

During the analysis, I could observe myself from a relatively objective standpoint, crucially distinguishing facts from thoughts. I learned a lot from my negative emotions; for instance, disappointment, anger, and frustration often stemmed from overly high expectations. Unnecessary worries, on the other hand, were dispelled as the feared events did not materialize. Positive emotions taught me that external encouragement boosts my confidence. Being appreciative, I felt fortunate for the kindness of my classmates.

I found that understanding the reasons behind the emergence of negative emotions is very helpful for self-awareness.

Expert inquiry

During this Autoethnography week, I also had a phone consultation with a psychological counsellor in China to gain basic knowledge about psychological counseling. She emphasized that the ultimate goal of counseling is to help individuals understand themselves, enabling them to help themselves. Most psychological issues stem from family reasons, an area I acknowledge my limitations in addressing.

She highlighted that the cause of negative emotions is not the events themselves but rather our perception and interpretation of those events. Therefore, distinguishing between events and feelings is crucial, encompassing emotions and perspectives on the events. This insight led me to consciously record these aspects in more detail during subsequent entries.

She also stressed the necessity of learning to understand oneself and how recording is crucial as people tend to forget after a day or two. Counselors often assign specific tasks, such as initiating greetings with three people in the coming week, along with mindfulness practices.

Counseling sessions generally involve visitors sharing more, with the counselor facilitating reflection and introspection through strategic questioning. These insights can be valuable in the design process going forward.