Ghost in the mirror

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There comes a moment, quiet, sudden, jarring, when you catch your own reflection…and feel like you're looking at a stranger. It’s your face, your eyes, your posture, but something’s missing, or something’s changed, and you can’t tell whether it’s the mirror that’s lying, or you.

This is the ghost in the mirror, the haunting realization that you no longer recognize the person you’ve become.

The erosion of self:

It doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t wake up one day unfamiliar. It creeps in over time,
through compromise, conformity, performance, survival. You start silencing opinions. Swallowing emotions. Playing roles. Meeting expectations. Until, piece by piece, the real you fades behind the version others find acceptable.

You learn to function. To smile. To succeed. And yet, something feels off, like a voice echoing from the depths saying, “This isn’t me.”

The haunting of inauthenticity:

We become ghosts to ourselves when we live in disconnection. When we prioritize image over integrity. When we curate instead of confront. When we forget what we used to love, believe, fight for. The mirror reflects our outer life, but we feel the absence of our inner one. That ache isn’t vanity. It’s a soul signaling its own erasure. It’s not just about who you’ve become.

It’s about who you’ve lost in the process.

Recognizing the haunt:

The ghost in the mirror doesn’t scream. It lingers. It sighs in moments of silence. It shows up in the pause after laughter that doesn’t feel real. In the exhaustion that rest doesn’t fix.
It’s the ache of knowing there was once a fire in you, and now, only the smoke remains.

But ghosts only linger where something once lived, and that means the self you’ve lost, isn’t gone, just buried, waiting for the inevitable resurrection.

Reclaiming the reflection:

You can’t rush back to yourself. You have to walk slowly. Intentionally. Honestly.

Ask:

  • Who was I before the world told me who to be?
  • What parts of me have gone silent?
  • What do I miss about myself?

Then listen. Not to the noise. But to the whisper beneath it.

Start with the smallest rebellions:

  • Speak the truth you've been hiding.
  • Wear what feels like you.
  • Say no when you usually fold.
  • Create without performing.

Each act of authenticity is an exorcism, a way of calling your spirit back into your skin.

Conclusion:

You’re not meant to haunt your own life, you’re meant to inhabit it. So when you next meet your reflection, don’t just check your appearance. Check your presence. Check your truth.

And remember: A mirror may show you your face, but only courage will bring back your soul.

If this resonated with you, you might love a free short course worksheet, please email me for a list of topics to choose from, thank you.

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