Instead of observing your flaws when you gaze at yourself through the mirror, as a lot of us tend to do, why not change that narrative by using this process to increase self-compassion and self-love? Mirror work is a practice where you drop the façade you display to the rest of the world, and meet your reflection in openness and honesty. Through creating space to be able to view yourself as you are, you’re able to then reprogram your subconscious by directing positive and self-love affirmations at yourself. It’s about getting to know yourself on a deeper and more sincere level, instead of the projections of who you think you are. How do you start?
Positive affirmations
The words you tell yourself have an impact on your overall view of life. Positive affirmations are proven to help you develop a healthy sense of self-worth, overcome challenges and negative thoughts. This is done through the repetition of words, either by voicing them out or through writing them down, that are in-line with your core values. The trick is that, you have to actually believe in those words that you say, otherwise, they’re baseless.
Research posits that self-affirmations are used to develop and maintain a positive self-view, and assert one’s sense of self-worth. When this view is threatened, affirmations help to reinforce that self-belief. According to this research by Christopher N. Cascio et al, affirmations help to strengthen your belief in self. Additionally, it can help “decrease stress, increase well-being, improve academic performance and make people more open to behavior change.”
The way it works
How does this relate to mirror work? Mirror work functions off of affirmations. It calls that you meet yourself in the mirror every day and affirm words of self-love and self-compassion. This in turn may help to reprogram your brain to begin to love yourself just a little bit more, or to finally see yourself as you are: beautiful and whole. Mirror work can also be used as a tool to look into your subconscious to understand why you are the way you are, and to accept yourself exactly as you are. This practice takes patience, time and consistency because it involves consistent repetition.
A mirror work practice can either be created by yourself or you can follow a practice as prescribed through a book. One favorite book on mirror work is called “Mirror Work” by Louise Hay. The book not only describes exactly what mirror work is, but also gives you day-by-day practices on loving yourself fully. There are also tons of books and publications on mirror work. This new-age practice is gaining quite the momentum in recent years.
How-to guide
If this fascinates you and you’re interested in trying out mirror work, there are only four steps involved in getting started.
- Looking at yourself through the mirror. You have to look into your own eyes, and take in the shape of your face, lips, nose, and ears. Staring at yourself will allow you to settle fully into your body and be present to create the space for you to connect deeper with yourself.
- Speak aloud words of affirmation or empowerment. Talk to yourself about how much you love yourself. Ask questions about who you are and watch yourself answer those questions. You can also just talk to yourself and hold a conversation.
- Re-speak/reaffirm because the first time doesn’t always do the trick. Repeat your words till you feel like they have stuck.
- Journal down your thoughts and emotions on how you felt before, during and after your mirror work session. Journaling will give you written proof for you to measure your progress and your state of mind over time.