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How to Boost Your Self-Compassion With Mirror Meditation
This intense form of meditation can improve your emotional intelligence and increase your capacity for compassion
For most of my adult life, the mirror was my enemy.
It must have been around the age of 13 when I got a specific idea of how my body was supposed to look like: flat stomach, muscular legs, flawless complexion, and a carefree smile on my face. The mirror became a tool for checking whether all those things were in place.
If they weren’t — this was a sign I needed to do something about it. Soon enough, it wasn’t just about the looks. I also started expecting specific behaviors and outcomes in my life.
If they didn’t occur, that was a cue to beat myself up.
My relationship with the mirror started changing a few years ago, as I gradually explored my spirituality. I got a hunch that it was possible to relate to myself differently: with compassion and kindness, instead of self-criticism. I started occasionally using the mirror to give myself pep talks — or to just watch my own tears when the emotional pain seemed impossible to bear.
But it was only recently that I started using mirror meditation as a deliberate practice of self-compassion. I…