Are you 40+ years old who can’t get his way around the weight loss, and is unable to take a look at his figure in the mirror? When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror? Was it a very long time ago? Are you having a hard time remembering that? Then this needs to be changed. You need to look more often in the mirror and have a good thorough look at yourself. There are several reasons why some people are afraid of looking in the mirrors.
Why Are People Afraid Of Looking At The Mirrors?
Unfortunately, looking in the mirrors is not just a casual act for everyone. Some of us struggle with having a glance at our being in the mirrors and can’t see the reflection. It is not about how good or bad you look. This type of behavior goes deeper than that. There are many emotional triggers and traumas, due to which a lot of people don’t find the courage to look at themselves in the mirror. The two main reasons, for a person being afraid of looking in the mirrors, are listed below.
1. Eisoptrophobia
How many times do you manage to look at yourself in the mirror in a day? Can you imagine not being able to see your reflection in the mirror or not having the courage to face it? Well, this is the reality of some people. Just like many other phobias, there is mirror phobia, known as Eisoptrophobia. Eisoptrophobes have an irrational fear of mirrors or seeing themselves in the mirror. In a nutshell, they are simply not able to have a look at themselves in front of a mirror.
Mostly, we may think that a person is afraid to look into the mirror because of a lack of self-love. However, this might not be the case. If you’re experiencing such feelings of irrational fear, do not try to throw this matter under the rug. This phobia can get worse over time, and may end up affecting your emotional resilience, self-confidence, and social skills. Just like other phobias, it has a cure and medication. Consult an expert and tell him in detail about your condition. Do not be afraid to let it out in the open and get yourself treated. Those with this phobia show the following symptoms.
- Panic
- Anxiety
- Dry mouth
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Excessive sweating
- Rapid Heartbeat
- Shaking
2. Lack Of Self-Love
Why do you look in the mirror? Is it because your dress is fancier or your earrings are branded? Did someone ask you to look in the mirror? The answer is NO. You simply look into the mirror because you love to have an overall look at your appearance. Now, that’s normal for you, but some people struggle with looking at themselves in the mirror, and the reason is a lack of self-love. If you are one of them, it’s time to up your game and start loving yourself!
Lack of self-love doesn’t get a hold over you in a span of one night. It happens because of little things, (mostly, they are not so little), that start building up and leave you in self-doubt. These ‘little things’ can be anything, from your friend saying that only one side of your face is selfie-worthy to your mother doubting your ability to get married because you’ve put on some extra kilos. These things can eat you up from the inside and destroy your mental capabilities, emotional capacities, and the ability to love yourself. Sometimes, you don’t even know that it’s been long you stood in front of a mirror and had a good glance over yourself. Hurtful words from your loved ones can leave you in despair and end up doing irreparable damage that can affect your mental health.
Importance of Looking In the Mirrors
Mirrors evoke strong feelings of self-love and self-acceptance inside us. They can be extremely powerful tools for modifying our perspective and seeing parts of our being that are usually hidden or not being focused on by ourselves and other people around us. As humans, the desire to be reflected, seen, and heard is innate. Psychologists have found that looking into the mirror and having meaningful face-to-face contact is essential for our emotional and social development. In today’s world, by constantly drowning ourselves in gadgets, some of us have forgotten how to have a good look at ourselves, all alone. Humans have become fearful of facing their reflection.
If you’re afraid of looking into the mirror, using some reverse psychology tricks may also help. Just like an expert advises a germophobe to place his hands in the garbage, you need to stand more in front of the mirror and shun all types of self-doubts. Mindful use of a mirror can also help uncover your kinder self and strengthen the resilience to face life’s challenges. Most people associate the act of looking into the mirror with feelings of inadequacy, but it’s quite the opposite. Learning to see and acknowledge your reflection can significantly increase aid-stress management, self-compassion, and improve emotional resilience and social relationships.
Undergo the Process of Self-Acceptance
Being afraid of looking into the mirrors is nothing to be ashamed of. We all have our insecurities, little secrets that we wish to hide in the bottom of our hearts forever, but it shouldn’t be the case. The best kind of therapy for this problem is to undergo the process of self-acceptance. Easier said than done, but you’ve to do it for yourself. Practice the mirror meditation and take some time to look at your reflection in a day. Don’t focus on your appearance and try to get in touch with your inner self. Look past the imperfections and see deeper into your eyes with the same compassion that you show to others.
Relative to adolescents, young adults overestimated how much they would be liked by peers. The graph shows a blue fit line of predicted values of acceptance expectancy (percent of trials predicted acceptance) based on the thin plate regression smoothing spline model. Blue shading indicates the SEM. The red dotted line denotes the actual rate of acceptance (50%)
Figure via pnas.org
Mostly, we hide our true personalities, inner thoughts, and our entire being to present a new and filtered version of ourselves in front of the world. Do not look at yourself with the eyes of another person. Don’t wait for someone else’s approval of your appearance. Practice self-adoration. Keep some MP3 players in your bathroom vanities, play your comfort song and look into the mirror. Surround yourself with little things that provide you comfort. Imagine looking at yourself in the mirror, with ‘Love Yourself’ by Justin Bieber playing in the background, not a bad scenario, right? Arrange such little concerts for yourself every day. Despite all the bad circumstances, learn to approach yourself in a more natural, accepting, and kind way.
Priorities Yourself – Look Straight Into the Mirrors
Learning to be more comfortable with yourself and standing in front of a mirror will not turn you into a narcissist. Quite the opposite, you’ll be more present with yourself, manage the peaks and lows of your emotional development, and tap into an improved and stronger version of yourself. Try to channel your inner thoughts and emotions through meaningful mirror gazing. Be more self-aware and break free from your inner critic and the external worlds’ that constantly bombard you with the feelings of not being good enough. Investigate your negative feelings in a compassionate manner, and replace them with curious loving-kindness.