I have found that a root of a lot problems is the mirror. I obsess over every pimple every scar that pops up and ive come to that conclusion that mirrors are only bad news. The more I look at the mirror the more I stress, yet oddly I cant stop looking. I have also noticed if I look in the mirror im more inclined to sraatch or touch my face or pop pimples. And lastly, looking in the mirror makes me lose faith in treatments a lot faster (cause you dont see immediate progress).
Like many of you on here acne has affected me greatly in the area of self esteem/self image.
Just wondering if anyone has gone on a "mirror fast" before and how it felt?
Im going to try to do a one month fast from the mirror, if youd like to join me you can message me and we can carry each other through it! I figure it will also allow the treatment to work without me messing with it constantly, and if i dont know what i look like I think im less likely to care! Of course im realistic so ill allow myself 2 mirror visits a day, morning and night just to do the regimen.
Great idea. I usually feel good about myself until I look in the dreaded mirror. I have to force myself to not look in the mirror. Unless I have painful cysts I can feel, I don't think about my acne until I look in the mirror and it definitely leads to picking and making matters worse.
I actually did a mirror fast for almost 8 months. I never looked at the mirrors in my house and when I did look at mirrors it was 20inches away, so I could see my acne as much.
It really helped me in terms of picking and scrutinizing my skin.
The reason why I decided to do that was because my acne had gotten so severe that looking at my skin just got me extremely melancholy.
As for applying my A.M and P.M regimen I would do it in the shower avoiding the mirrors.
Eventually I had the will power to confront my biggest fear ACNE and to my surprise it had improved by 60% . Which is far better than nothing if you ask me .
It's a helpful trick avoiding mirrors .
Great idea. I usually feel good about myself until I look in the dreaded mirror. I have to force myself to not look in the mirror. Unless I have painful cysts I can feel, I don't think about my acne until I look in the mirror and it definitely leads to picking and making matters worse.
Yeah that is exactly how I am as well, literally nothing good comes from looking in the mirror lol. However I tried it today and its a lot harder than expected lol, I think if my acne was mild It would be easier, but the state my face is in right now makes its so hard not to look. Sadly I think im going to be a mirror addict until my skin improves to a point that I deem acceptable =(, but who know ill try again tommorrow!
I actually did a mirror fast for almost 8 months. I never looked at the mirrors in my house and when I did look at mirrors it was 20inches away, so I could see my acne as much.
It really helped me in terms of picking and scrutinizing my skin.
The reason why I decided to do that was because my acne had gotten so severe that looking at my skin just got me extremely melancholy.
As for applying my A.M and P.M regimen I would do it in the shower avoiding the mirrors.
Eventually I had the will power to confront my biggest fear ACNE and to my surprise it had improved by 60% . Which is far better than nothing if you ask me .
It's a helpful trick avoiding mirrors .
Yea similar situation for me right now, melancholy is exactly how it feels =(. The past 3-4 months is the most severe my skin has ever gotten in my life. I found that not looking in the mirror is extremely hard for me, and that dang iphone front facing camera too lol. I do something similar to the 20 inches thing, instead i take my glasses off or my contacts out if i must look in the mirror, im blind as a bat so my face just becomes a blur lol. As for applying the regimen blind i dont think I could do it, but if i could just limit myself Id be pretty content.Its very impressive that you were able to quit mirrors entirely!
It was for the sake of my health because my acne was so severe that I had to stay away from mirrors. Every time that I would look into a mirror I would sink into a deep deep depression and when I decided to avoid them completely it really helped me psychologically and emotionally. (not knowing how my skin looked helped)
It's tough avoiding mirrors and I think that's why I would stare at myself from a distance but you can do it. I believe the word "can't " should be banned from our vocab . Haha.
However, the one thing that I find impossible to achieve is to QUIT touching my skin. I catch myself touching my skin 24/7. Haha . I think I might start a thread on that.
I have found that a root of a lot problems is the mirror. I obsess over every pimple every scar that pops up and ive come to that conclusion that mirrors are only bad news. The more I look at the mirror the more I stress, yet oddly I cant stop looking. I have also noticed if I look in the mirror im more inclined to sraatch or touch my face or pop pimples. And lastly, looking in the mirror makes me lose faith in treatments a lot faster (cause you dont see immediate progress).
Like many of you on here acne has affected me greatly in the area of self esteem/self image.
Just wondering if anyone has gone on a "mirror fast" before and how it felt?
Im going to try to do a one month fast from the mirror, if youd like to join me you can message me and we can carry each other through it! I figure it will also allow the treatment to work without me messing with it constantly, and if i dont know what i look like I think im less likely to care! Of course im realistic so ill allow myself 2 mirror visits a day, morning and night just to do the regimen.
Very true.
The mirror can be your worst enemy for any outward appearance complex one might have.
It was for the sake of my health because my acne was so severe that I had to stay away from mirrors. Every time that I would look into a mirror I would sink into a deep deep depression and when I decided to avoid them completely it really helped me psychologically and emotionally. (not knowing how my skin looked helped)
It's tough avoiding mirrors and I think that's why I would stare at myself from a distance but you can do it. I believe the word "can't " should be banned from our vocab . Haha.
However, the one thing that I find impossible to achieve is to QUIT touching my skin. I catch myself touching my skin 24/7. Haha . I think I might start a thread on that.
Yea I think I gotten to the point where a mirror fast would do wonders for my mental health. The combo of acne mixed with PIH just is crushingly devastating on my ego when I look at mirrors. Haha I touch my face too, not on purpose either, ill subconsciously do it and ill catch myself in the act later. Last night I actaully woke up in the middle of the night and my hand was scratching my face! Its like it has a mind of its own. A thread would be a great idea!
I've tried avoiding the mirror but sometimes it makes me worse. When I can't look at my skin, I think about it even more. Then I begin touching it. Feeling all the bumps. And the thing is, sometimes the bumps feel terrible but my skin isn't even that red. So I can be sitting there feeling my skin and freaking out and actually be relieved when I go look in the mirror and see that it feels worse than it looks.
I've tried avoiding the mirror but sometimes it makes me worse. When I can't look at my skin, I think about it even more. Then I begin touching it. Feeling all the bumps. And the thing is, sometimes the bumps feel terrible but my skin isn't even that red. So I can be sitting there feeling my skin and freaking out and actually be relieved when I go look in the mirror and see that it feels worse than it looks.
Haha sometimes it amazes me reading stuff on here and finding out how common we all are to each other! I do that exact same thing, I was on a trip for a campus visit thing and I swear all day Id run my fingers over my face to feel the bumps. Except my scenerio is a bit different than yours cuz I suffer from a lot of hyperpigmentation after th acne leaves. So might not feel bumps but when I look in the mirror im like aww fudgsickles. I think If i could just find the disipline to not touch my face for 2 months and avoid the mirror for those two months, id be golden! Hopefully by then the marks will be healed and the regimen would be taking care of any acne!
Do people see what we see in the mirrors? Like are peoples eye balls like mirrors where they can see every little discoloration or mark?
Ive always wondered this as well, I wish there was a study on it or something. I thought about it (acne made me a hermit so i have plenty of time to think lol) and there are several factors to weigh. First I have bad vision so when i look at myself its naturally blurry lol, Second is distance, I think I try to look at myself from farther distances from the mirror cuz it makes it look less severe, but i real life people are gunna be 18 inches from you when they talk. From a scientific standpoint mirrors only reflect 90% of light I believe, so what what you see is 10% duller than what you actually look like in a mirror.
I too had a problem with inspecting my skin in the mirror. No good can come out of doing that - no one is ever that up close to your face, anyway!
Constantly checking in the mirror became like an OCD ritual that I had to do to relax. I've decreased my amount of checking, and I almost never look up close in the mirror anymore. However I do still check a couple times per day in the mirror, but I think that's pretty normal. When I have a particularly bad spot though, my OCD goes crazy and I check in the mirror a lot more to check its 'progress'.
So yes, I think 'mirror fasting' is definitely a good idea.
I too had a problem with inspecting my skin in the mirror. No good can come out of doing that - no one is ever that up close to your face, anyway!
Constantly checking in the mirror became like an OCD ritual that I had to do to relax. I've decreased my amount of checking, and I almost never look up close in the mirror anymore. However I do still check a couple times per day in the mirror, but I think that's pretty normal. When I have a particularly bad spot though, my OCD goes crazy and I check in the mirror a lot more to check its 'progress'.
So yes, I think 'mirror fasting' is definitely a good idea.
Yea the bad thing is my spots are quite noticeable even from a distance =(. Im like you, when my skin is mild I used to barely ever look in the mirror, but the last few months my skin exploded with acne and PIH so Ive been super OCD about looking. Good idea I thnk to fast, but alot harder for me to put into practice lol. Im hoping I get a little better at it everyday, i mean quitting cold turkey is impossible.
I too had a problem with inspecting my skin in the mirror. No good can come out of doing that - no one is ever that up close to your face, anyway!
Constantly checking in the mirror became like an OCD ritual that I had to do to relax. I've decreased my amount of checking, and I almost never look up close in the mirror anymore. However I do still check a couple times per day in the mirror, but I think that's pretty normal. When I have a particularly bad spot though, my OCD goes crazy and I check in the mirror a lot more to check its 'progress'.
So yes, I think 'mirror fasting' is definitely a good idea.
Yea the bad thing is my spots are quite noticeable even from a distance
. Im like you, when my skin is mild I used to barely ever look in the mirror, but the last few months my skin exploded with acne and PIH so Ive been super OCD about looking. Good idea I thnk to fast, but alot harder for me to put into practice lol. Im hoping I get a little better at it everyday, i mean quitting cold turkey is impossible.
Try to slowly lessen your mirror looks day by day. I know how it feels, especially cause I have weird forms of anxiety + OCD about the way that I look. I have lowered my mirror looks though, to mostly only when I need the mirror. Resist the urge to constantly look because your skin's not going to change in a matter of a few minutes between your looks in the mirror. Best to just not focus on how you look for a while and keep focused on other things.
I'm on a mirror fast at the minute because the amount of times I look in the mirror every day is a joke! Plus I don't just glance at the mirror, I stand get up real close to inspect everything with zoom x10! It's ridiculous because no one else looks us from 2 inches away. I also have a compact and I check my skin consistently all day - like some major catastrophe has just occurred on my skin since 30 seconds ago!
So yeah I'm fasting...and I'm trying to only touch my face when I'm washing it am and pm. It's sooooo hard, but I've got an elastic band on my wrist and I keep snapping it every time I feel the urge to touch or look and it seems to be working 
I'm a picker so looking in the mirror is almost like putting wine in front of an alcoholic, best to just stay away, ignorance is bliss when it comes to acne!
The best possible thing you can do for yourself is mirror fast. I have purposely tried not to look in the mirror and its amazing how all of a sudden I feel confident and sociable just by not looking at my reflection constantly. If you are strong willed enough you should def try it.
I have this same bloody problem.I keep studying the contours of my face and end up touching it all over only to make it worse.In 2 weeks i'm returning to my college.And this year i have left the hostel to live with my mates in an apartment.Funnily there isn't a mirror in there.So i won't be able to look at myself! Comb my hair looking at the laptop screen! LOL
But a mirror fast would keep me from focusing on my skin. Seems like everytme I look in the mirror, I find something new and then I focus on it for days on end.
I should give this a shot. My room is right across from the bathroom so it's so tempting, when I have a spare moment, to just run in and look. Most times I walk out feeling worse than when I went in.
I don't know if I can do a full mirror fast... especially now, after I've used a lot of BP... I feel like I need to check my face after meals to get rid of excess flakes and whatnot... but I think once I get over this dryness I'll be able to mirror fast a lot better.