What Is Selfietherapy?

Find out what it is, why it is important and how to practice selfie therapy with Mina Barrio.

There are two types of people when it comes to photographs: those who are comfortable taking selfies naturally, which we all see come out amazingly well, and those who are embarrassed to do so. The embarrassment of getting in front of the camera can have repercussions on both personal self-esteem and the projects we participate in. Taking photos can help establish personal connections in projects and, at the same time, contribute to accepting our own self-image. The feeling of not being photogenic can also have an impact on our self-esteem.

The feeling of not being photogenic is quite common, and this is partly because our perception of ourselves does not match the image we see in photographs. This happens because the mirror reflects an inverted image of ourselves, while photographs show how others see us. Therefore, when we see a photo, we find it strange because we are not used to that perspective. However, it is important to remember that others see us as we really are, without that inversion.

Many times, when taking pictures with the cell phone, we look more comfortable because it appears as a mirror. However, some phone cameras invert the image when saving it to the gallery, which can make us look strange again. This is what answers the question you may have asked yourself many times: but I didn't look "that bad" on the phone camera? To overcome this feeling, it is recommended to adjust the phone settings or edit the photo afterwards to reverse the image and see it the way we are used to.

Another reason we often feel dissatisfied with our photos is because we have an idealized image of ourselves. We spend a lot of time analyzing our appearance in the mirror and tend to imagine ourselves with a perfection that rarely holds up in reality due to natural changes in our body. Often, we focus on details that others don't even notice or don't consider as important as we do.

For Mina, selfie therapy can be important for two fundamental reasons. First, it helps us to recognize and become familiar with our real image, challenging the idealized image we have of ourselves. Secondly, by not taking photos of ourselves we risk "disappearing" from our own memories and experiences, as photographs are an important way of documenting our history and our moments.[/b

You can discover more about how to take selfies and videos for your personal social media project with Mina Barrio's Domestika course: Professional selfies and video selfies for Instagram. Mina will teach you how to take advantage of the light and what are the best poses and scenarios to take photos and videos of yourself. You will learn how to communicate in a more personal way with your audience.