Mirror Meditation: The Power of Neuroscience and Self-Reflection to Overcome Self-Criticism, Gain Confidence, and See Yourself with Compassion Paperback – June 1, 2022

Meditation is a new practice to me, but the older I get the more drawn to learning how to be present and genuine with myself and others I become. Social media is an amazing tool, but our mental health and self images have paid the heaviest price for making it a regular part of everyday life. If I want to relearn how to incorporate social media into my life in a healthy and productive way, I need to start by looking inside myself so that I can better understand where my boundaries lie. This book provided the jumping off point for that journey.Here are a few points I took away:• It uses peer reviewed science throughout to support mirror meditation, and is presented in an easily digestible way. You may see the word Neuroscience and expect to read something dense and slightly confusing. However, the information is presented in a way that will empower and inspire, rather than discourage.• It reads almost like a workbook. There is a "Try This" section at the end of the chapters that gives you practical and helpful ways to incorporate the concept you've just read into everyday practice. Sometimes you will use the actual mirror and sometimes you may be asked to do some self reflection internally rather than externally. I found it helpful to keep my journal handy so that I was better prepared for the internal reflection prompts. I also like the fact that I can look back on my answers in the future.• The chapters are short which is another aspect that makes the book easily digestible. I enjoyed being able to read a few chapters each day and focus on them, rather than feel like I needed to overload my brain with a book's worth of new information over the course of a couple days.By the end of the book, you will have explored many common self-destructive behaviors and criticisms, and the "why" behind each. You will have the opportunity to take steps towards correcting them for your sake and others'. I plan to look back on the information inside these pages often, whenever I need another refresher on how I can "Live Reflectively."

Reading Dr. Tara Well’s Mirror Meditation was an absolute gift. The perfect combination of concrete research, personal experiences, anecdotes from students, and the “Try This” exercise at the end of each chapter made the book flow graciously. Everything that Dr. Well writes, from research to exercises, is with clear intention, sharing HOW to and WHY it's important to treat ourselves and others with compassion and love.Mirror Meditation can be read by anyone. There are no age, race, gender, or social status boundaries. The findings, exercises, and implications are applicable to anyone!As a teen, many aspects of Mirror Meditation resonate with me deeply: how I view myself, being conscious of what everyone thinks of me, daily self-reflection, and the implications of social media and societal pressures. Video journaling, one of the exercises in Mirror Meditation, has been so transformational! It’s a great way to get my emotions and thoughts out of my mind and articulated into words, especially those that are stressing me out. It’s an uncensored method to reflect on how I’m truly feeling and helped me realize that I sometimes have intrusive irrational thoughts and am creating problems for myself that aren’t real. Video journaling helped me simplify the chaos of my thoughts and understand why I’m feeling or behaving in a certain way. I cannot recommend it enough!Please read Mirror Meditation! You are doing yourself a favor. It will transform the way you look at yourself, your relationships, and your everyday experiences with compassion. This is definitely a book I will keep on my bookshelf to refer back to and re-read often!

“Mirror Meditation” by Tara Well has had a profound impact on me. If you want to improve your self-confidence, self-image or overcome anxiety, you will find much to gain from this book. Although mirror meditation is the thread that binds the material together it is much more than that. “Mirror Meditation” covers a host of issues which impact your life in today’s modern world and clearly explains social psychology, brain science, neuroscience and other studies which help you to understand how to address them. Additionally, there are real life examples of how actual people have confronted these issues in order solve them which will help you to establish a deeper understanding. There are specific suggestions on approaches you can use in your own life in every chapter. When you put it all together it is a powerful well written book which I highly recommend.

This book is chock full of solid information on body image and self-criticism. At times, there is so much information, it can seem like a firehose (perhaps a series would have been better?). The breakdowns into small chapters definitely help with this. The author is an expert, and the information and exercises are fantastic. That said, if you find that you need this much work in this area, I'd suggest that it may be best to not use the book, even as good as it is. Consider finding a therapist who specializes in this area instead. A book--even one this good--is not a substitute for therapy. Having a therapist work with you on this information may be the best of both worlds.

I loved this book more than I expected to. The short chapters full of personal stories and science-backed lessons really pack a punch.