You might be asking yourself, “What is the harm in looking in the mirror?” It seems so normal. Mirrors are necessary for personal grooming and other day-to-day applications, how can they possibly be a danger to our health?
I have found that something as innocent as looking in the mirror only reinforces the belief that we are a body. That our body is something we must control and put effort into perfecting. However, that view of the body is the very thing that causes worry and stress, and with that, health problems.
Why Do We enjoy looking in the mirror?
I won’t sit here and talk about how I’ve mastered the ability to not look in the mirror. It is difficult. Frankly, what type of person even questions mirrors? It seems absurd. But believe me, as you pursue a spiritual path, you start to question the most minute details of your life and the impact they have on you.
The exact reason we enjoy looking in the mirror can best be understood through the Greek mythological story of Narcissus; this is a perfect description of this aspect of the human ego.
The Story of Narcissus
The story of Narcissus goes exactly how his name sounds. It’s about a dude, who was good-looking, he was so attractive that many people fell in love with him. Anyone who expressed affection towards him, he rejected.
He rejected a nymph (kind of like a nature goddess) named Echo, and for which he was cursed by the gods as punishment for his coldness.
One day, he came across a still pool of water and saw his own reflection. He became so enamored with his own beauty that he couldn’t pull away from looking at himself. He eventually wasted away and died by the pool of water.
… “What a ridiculous story that has zero relevance to the real world,” you might think. However, this story holds more relevance and insight into personal health now more than ever before.
Vanity is at All-time Highs
The story of Narcissus is obviously about a narcissist who is arrogant and vain. The pool of water serves as a mirror, reflecting back to us everything we love and hate about ourselves. Haven’t we seen this type of behavior today, in the age of social media?
What are phones if not mirrors that reflect back to us everything we like to capture about ourselves? It seems like everyone today wants to be looked at, admired, sought after, etc.
As social media has become more accepted in society, so has the display of narcissistic behavior. Social media is a breeding ground for this type of behavior and only encourages more of it. That definitely can’t be good for our mental health.
I remember quitting social media for this very reason. I discovered it had become a hotbed for narcissistic behavior and comparisons that I just couldn’t partake in anymore.
After I quit, I actually felt like I was back in the real world again. No more fake friendships; no more viewing random people’s lives (What do I care what you’re eating for dinner or your dog wearing human clothes? See: Dogs Or Kids, Which Brings More Meaning To Your Life?). Best of all, I don’t have to put on a front of how I want people to perceive me with my own pictures and videos.
The Mirror Reflects and reinforces Your problems
Have you ever had a rash somewhere on your body? Perhaps you’ve seen a patch of dry itchy skin on your leg or elbow and immediately think, “OMG, something’s wrong!!”
Now you look in the mirror and see those same issues on your face, your most prized possession on your body! Maybe it’s a pimple, an ingrown hair, a cavity, a mole, a sty on your eye, a scab, a cyst, etc. Now, you must take action and fix whatever that problem is.
Not only does looking in the mirror reflect back to your physical ailments, but it reinforces them too. If you see something wrong with your face, let’s say having some pimples, you subconsciously program yourself that you must have pimples because you see them physically right there reflected back from the mirror.
This creates a negative feedback loop. You see pimples, which then causes you to believe you have pimples, which then causes you to have pimples, and the cycle goes on and on.
Your emotions are reflected back too
When you’re sad, mad, prideful, ashamed, or depressed, those are all reflected and reinforced by looking in the mirror.
Our society has discounted emotions for a long time, but emotions, although under the surface, are the very things all behavior stems from. When we look in the mirror, we can intuit whatever emotion is lying under the surface. Those emotions fuel how we act during the day and how others perceive us.
For example, if I’m depressed because I feel lonely, every morning when I wake up and go to brush my teeth, what do I see? I see a depressed, lethargic, lonely individual who feels hopeless. If I see that, what do you think others see?
It can be very hard to break out of those negative emotions when we see it reflected back to us every day. However, it is possible to turn those emotions around.
Exercises to break away from vanity and improve health
These are exercises I’ve found helpful for breaking old patterns and programming around vanity, so you can improve both mental and physical health.
1) Just stop looking in the Mirror (Cold Turkey)
This is easier said than done. I have told my wife, “Hey, let’s just get rid of the mirrors in our home for a month.” She wouldn’t allow that. A more practical way is to stay conscious of how much you look in the mirror.
Take note of all the mirrors in your home. Write down how many times you look in them a day. Slowly start reducing the amount of times you look at them. This will make you uncomfortable, and that’s a good thing. It means your ego is being challenged and you are starting to break away from its hold over your life.
You will find over time that you begin to only look in the mirror out of basic necessity, to do your hair, tie your tie, put on makeup, etc. There is no more constant obsessing over whether you look good or not. You accept that you are what you are, and you’re going to look how you look.
You may have bad days where you find yourself zooming in close to the mirror, picking at blemishes. These are the most difficult yet critical times to make a change. It is best to just stop and walk away. It helps to understand the mirror cannot offer you anything; it only makes things worse.
2) Break the Negative Feedback Loop
Remember what I said about the cycle of programming when you look in the mirror? Well, there is a way to break that cycle. First, understand the cycle doesn’t start from seeing the imperfection in the mirror and then you are programmed to believe it exists. It starts first as a program in your unconscious, which then manifests on your body. (The body obeys what the mind believes).
Somewhere buried deep down, below your conscious awareness, there are programs that say, “I have pimples, I’m not attractive, I have wrinkles, I have moles,” etc. It doesn’t matter where those beliefs came from; what matters is what you are going to do about them.
Practice being aware of your conscious and unconscious beliefs, then choose to let them go. Ignore what the mirror is showing you. Sometimes it helps to look at the ailment and say, “That ailment is not a reality; the only reality is the meaning I give it. I can choose a better reality.” This stops any victimhood dead in its tracks and gives you the truth: You have the power to choose what you want to believe.
See: The Correct Way To Spiritually Manifest
You then release and let go of any emotions or thoughts you have about these negative beliefs and ailments.
3) Reprogram with Self-Love
As you break free and deprogram yourself from those negative beliefs, it is also wise to reprogram with love. Our ego is drawn to looking in the mirror, not because we are happy with ourselves, but because we are unhappy with ourselves. Why not look in the mirror out of love and compassion rather than hate and judgment?
Practicing loving words of affirmation in the mirror can help cut through the ego’s vanity and hold on our soul. You can make it a daily habit that every time you walk away from the mirror you say to yourself, “I love how I look, I love my beautiful smile, I love my hair texture, I love and approve of everything I see in the mirror.” Have fun with it!
You’ll notice the first few times it’ll take some courage to really say this to yourself. You will feel discomfort in your body. Again, pay no mind to this and carry on with the exercise. Breathe deeply and let those emotions and fears come up and fall away. Love will solve any problem you have.
With Time and Dedication, Health Can Improve
This change can only occur if you have an open mind to any of it working. You have to truly believe that your health is your responsibility first, and that you are not confined to just the same practices you have always followed. From my experience, your health will improve based on the degree of faith and dedication you have in the practice.
For instance, I wholeheartedly believe these exercises and practices work. I’ve personally witnessed multiple physical and mental ailments fade on their own when I stopped looking in the mirror, broke through negative feedback loops by choosing to believe in a better reality, and began loving every aspect of myself infinitely. (Not in a narcissistic way, but in a compassionate way).
As you apply these exercises and become more secure within yourself, it starts to dawn on you that good health is a result of how good you feel on the inside.
Related Reading: How To Fix Bad Posture Naturally By Unlocking True Confidence
We then can look into the mirror with a smile, knowing that our physical reflection is not the thing that actually matters. What truly matters is the type of person we are becoming within, which then reflects out into the world leaving a lasting impact that inspires others.