I talk to myself. Not in a “Did I leave the stove on?” kind of way, though I do that, too. It’s more like full-on conversations. I’ll catch my reflection in a window or the bathroom mirror and just start … talking.
“Why’d you do that? You knew it wasn’t going to work out.”
“You’re better than this. What’s holding you back?”
Sometimes I even answer myself, which feels equal parts weird and cathartic.
I don’t know when it started, but I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. It’s not about vanity or self-criticism, though sometimes it veers that way. It’s more like checking in with someone you trust.
And that’s the funny part—I trust the version of me in the mirror more than I trust the one walking around out here.
There’s something about your reflection that feels … honest. Like it knows all your secrets but doesn’t hold them against you. It’s the only place where you can’t really hide.
Think about it: the world gets curated versions of you. The one who’s good at small talk at parties. The one who smiles through boring meetings. The one who says, “Yeah, I’m fine,” even when you’re clearly not.
But the person in the mirror? That’s just you. The unedited version. The one who knows you cried in the shower last week or stayed up way too late binge-watching trash TV instead of finishing that project. They see all of it.
Sometimes I wonder if that’s why mirrors make people uncomfortable. Not because of how they look but because of how they feel. Like they’re being seen too clearly, and it’s overwhelming.
But I’ve found that if you stick with it—if you keep having those weird little conversations—it gets easier. You start to recognize yourself in a way that feels … real.
I’m not saying it’s fun. Some days, my mirror self is a real jerk.
“You’re going to wear that?”
“Maybe if you’d worked harder, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Are we really doing this again?”
But other days, they’re my biggest cheerleader. They remind me of all the things I’ve done right, even when I’m too busy spiraling to notice.
The truth is, we’re not great at being honest with ourselves. We distract, deflect, justify, and rewrite our own narratives to make them more palatable. And hey, I get it—self-awareness is messy. But it’s also the only way to grow.
Because here’s the thing: if you don’t know who you are, how do you decide who you want to be?
I don’t think mirrors hold the answers. They’re just glass, after all. But they’re a good place to start.
If you’re brave enough to look yourself in the eye and say, “Okay, let’s talk,” you might be surprised at what comes up.
It’s not about fixing everything or becoming some perfect, polished version of yourself. It’s just about showing up. For you.
So next time you catch your reflection, stop and say hi. Ask yourself how you’re doing. And listen. Really listen.
You might not like everything you hear, but that’s kind of the point.
I once made a video about authenticity—about what it really means to show up as yourself. If that sounds interesting, you can check it out here.
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