What do we typically do in the mirror? We look at ourselves and usually it’s in a negative way. The mirror is too often used to critique ourselves. Research shows if we are looking at ourselves without kind intention we allow our inner critic to take control. Conversely, looking in the mirror with the intention to be kind to yourself can reduce anxiety and self-criticism.
So that poses a question, if we make our mirrors into vision boards can we encourage a positive mindset and manifest quicker?
The answer is yes, and the technique has a name! Mirror work.
What is Mirror work?
The mirror technique has been around for decades. It was created in 1948 by Claude M. Bristol and written about in his book The Magic of Believing. It’s all about looking in a mirror and speaking affirmations to yourself as a form of manifestation. More recently the process was updated and magnified by Manifestation Coach Marcy Neumann (her way is what I’ll be talking about in this post)
She found that not only can you say affirmations into a mirror but you can turn your mirror into a vision board! This is manifestation on steroids! Why? Because, as you are looking at your goals the mirror reflects you! Therefore, you are seeing yourself doing those very things.
Pro tip: If you read your affirmations out loud while looking at yourself it is that much more impactful.
Why it works
How can we use a mirror to manifest? The human brain doesn’t know the difference between reality and fiction. Think about eating a lemon. Imagine how it tastes, imagine how it makes your mouth water… Is your mouth watering now as if you ate a lemon? I know mine is just writing this. But we haven’t ate a lemon, we looked at a photo and thought about it.
There is reason food makes us salivate. Our brains subconsciously react to the smell, sight and even thought of food with the increased secretion of saliva. That’s because we need saliva to help teeth chew and prepare food to be digested. Right now, we subconsciously caused our body to react as if we we were about to eat a lemon even though one isn’t even physically here!
I’ll give you another example…
Think about watching a tear-jerking movie. You start to cry when one of the characters feel pain. But why? You know the movie isn’t real & the pain is not happening to you! But still we feel it as if we are there.
The human brain has something called mirror neurons, they help us to learn through imitation. This is why we can reflect body language, facial expressions, and emotions. These neurons are essential for developing empathy & are the very reason why we cry in sad movies and smile/laugh in happy ones.
Yes, our mind is very powerful isn’t it?
So we have mirror neurons and we have this ability to feel something that is happening as if it were real even if it’s not. So, why not use this ability to create a positive mindset in order to manifest?
That’s where the mirror comes to play: How we look at our reflection turns out to be essential. Researchers have found, It makes all the difference in whether you feel better or worse.
Compassionate self talk and images can be amplified by the use of a mirror as a way to externalize ourself, ie. Looking at ourselves as if we were looking at someone else. A mirror works well because looking at our own eyes and face while experiencing compassion towards ourselves impacts our mindset more than just verbalizing self-compassionate phrases.
So therefore, if we make our vision boards on mirrors imagine how much you can change your through process to help you manifest!?
Do it with me!
Doing mirror work is easy, here’s what to do:
Step 1: Choose A mirror to use.
You can use any mirror you have inside your home. The mirror board that I have (pictured above) is created by The HeartShift Coach Marcy Neumann you can check out all her products, courses and manifestation tips at her website by clicking here.
Step 2: Get affirmations + photos for your vision board
I like to go on Pinterest and print a few things out that resonate with the mindset and goals I want to have.
Step 3: Put the images on the mirror
Step 4: Look at it daily, say your affirmations outloud and think about how much you deserve all these things you desire.
Next time you look in the mirror, don’t be so negative. You have now learned, It impacts us a lot more than we think!