Whether it’s 8pm on a Friday night or 8am Monday morning, mirrors are an important part of our daily lives. They see us during our worst moments and at our finest. But what do we see in them?
There’s no denying that mirrors make our lives easier. From giving you confidence to letting you know you shouldn’t leave the house yet, we depends on mirrors to show us what our eyes can’t see. Look around you. There are probably at least two in your room, across the wall of your bathroom, and even a travel size one in your makeup bag.
When we get this dependent on inanimate objects, we start to lose ourselves and gain something artificial. With mirrors, it’s our view of ourself that becomes artificial.
Think about it. We spend countless hours a day looking into mirrors. Whether it’s harmlessly gazing into them as we brush our teeth in the morning or spending hours making sure our makeup and outfit are perfect, we devote way too much time into our appearance. This repeated habit eventually starts to distort our thoughts and actions.
We start to become obsessed with the version of ourself that we see in mirrors. The mirror can’t tell your IQ or how kind of a person you are, so you’re left with worrying about nothing more than looks.
The same happens when it comes to scales. We become so obsessed with the number defining us that we forget about the person behind the number and all the aspects that go into making us who we are. We are not a number and we are more than our appearance shows.
Throw them away. Step out from the mirror and off of the scale and start to understand that the person that you are is beautiful. Imperfections and all, you are so much more than what you see in the mirror.
We all know a friend who can’t seem to step out from in front of the mirror when getting ready for a night out. They can hear all the complements on hair and makeup and outfit advice that we can give them, yet they are obsessed with their reflection. Or maybe it’s a friend that is constantly late to class because they can’t seem to leave the mirror.
This is the sign that the dependence on mirrors has gone too far. We begin to go past our reflections and start searching for every imperfection that we can find. This belittles our confidence and starts to destroy the person that we are.
Obviously, it’s impossible to get rid of all the mirrors and scales in the world. But what we can do is realize that no inanimate object can measure our self-worth. Embrace the beautiful person that you are, and don’t let any number or object tell you differently.
Let’s toss those mirrors and scales to the side and show the world that we love ourselves. Because when we show others that we are proud of our bodies, the mindset is contagious.
Featured image via Geir Tønnessen on Flickr
