I don’t like to look at myself in the mirror. When one stares at their reflection long enough, they realize just how much of themself they despise. You start to nitpick. My hair isn’t straight enough. My nose is too big. My lips are too thin. On and on and on. You notice it all.

I used to avoid mirrors. I wouldn’t look at myself. I like the version of me that is stuck in my head better than the one I see in the mirror. 

But, looking in the mirror is a crucial part of my morning and nightly routines. I need to look in the mirror to do my hair and makeup. I need to look in the mirror to put on my moisturizer or do a face mask. I need to look in the mirror, no matter how much I really don’t want to. So, I decided I needed to find a way to like looking in the mirror.

I love to take pictures. I think that capturing moments in time is so sacred. So, what better way to look at myself in the mirror? I started to take mirror selfies. Capturing a moment when I look at myself—my full, genuinely smiling self—makes me so elated.

When I take mirror selfies I can see my face, my body, and my outfit—I love it. I’m not just staring at myself and nit-picking. I like to be able to see my whole body because I can see my outfit and my hairstyle, and it makes me feel more confident.

I only wear clothes that make me feel good, so to have a picture of myself that I feel good about because of what I’m wearing makes looking in a mirror so much easier. I know that if I ever feel bad about myself, I have a whole album of photos on my phone meant to make me feel good.

When I take a mirror selfie, I feel like I’m expressing myself through something I love—photography—and that makes looking at the photos of me all the better. I feel like I can appreciate who I am.

I have a mirror selfie from every single day since school started. I get to document the outfits I wore and reminisce on the football games and the shopping trips. I get to remember all of the good times I’ve had so far this year.

Now, when I look at myself in the mirror, all I see is the good memories. And that makes me happy.