The Madness (And The Magic) Of The Mirror

Kelsey Lindsey

The last side effect is of particular interest to me. Talking with running buddies and yoga partners over the years, it seems that even the tiniest bit of activity can have intense ramifications on one’s self-perception. I’ve heard stories — and have experienced it myself — of people looking in the mirror post-workout, and seeing different versions of themselves. Their abs seem flatter and their arms are bigger, even if their body hasn’t physically changed all that much. Because it’s hard to achieve a 360-degree change in one workout, it seems to me that what’s being altered is less physical and more mental — how we view both ourselves and our bodies once we leave the gym.

This mind-altering effect has a dark side though. After a particularly glutenous meal, I sometimes look in the mirror and see a doughy and bloated Kelsey staring back, an expanded version of my body pre-feast. It usually doesn’t stop there. To everyone else I look the same, but in my head I’ve gained 20 pounds, I’m suddenly unhappy with my hair, and ten new sunspots have rapidly appeared on my face in the course of an hour. One negative thought leads to another, and I’m caught in a downward spiral of self-negativity and shame. And while these feelings are common after a greasy meal, I’ve noticed that it’s not unusual for many to catch the wave of discontentment after spotting even the most trivial of “flaws” — that is to say, characteristics that don’t measure up to society’s increasingly high standard of beauty.