Having the ability to reflect on professional practice is an essential skill of a registered nurse practising in the UK, and in England, nursing associate, and is a key tenet of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) revalidation. While demonstrating the importance of reflection, this paper encourages nurses to think beyond the defined constraints of reflection and move towards the more dynamic approach of critical reflection and concludes by introducing the concept of [nursing] praxis — a process which requires nurses to demonstrate a greater understanding of the complex nature of the political, social, economic and environmental constraints under which we live and work and act in a way to reduce their impact.