Did/do you practice facial expressions in the mirror?

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I used to practice facial expressions in the mirror all the time as a kid, even as an older toddler, because I was very aware that I was bad at making them. I still am not good at smiling and making other expressions, so I don't do it often anymore since it doesn't seem to make much of a difference.

I never practice it. At all.
But I happened to be rather good at making faces.


It just so happens that my inner feelings and natural external expressions simply shows more than I'd like.

However, said natural expressions are also not 100% appropriate or matched according to whatever body language vocabulary exists.

But then, so does my own inner emotions in specific situations to begin with.



If anything...
I'm practicing the opposite.

I want to not show what I feel. I want not to involuntarily smile or laugh or be sad and cry if my feelings are too much to be kept in.

There are little improvements about it so far. With anger especially.



Maybe it is cultural.
Because this culture is known to be comparably more emotionally expressive.

Added with my own lack of real alexithymic traits, my visio-spatial aptitude, and my other physical motor abilities and senses on top of it.
Kinda translates as to why I don't have to try to be expressive, and why it translates physically at all.

I just struggle to stop instead. I want a choice to not show and may ended up acting upon it.
Let alone had to pretend otherwise -- which I dislike the idea of.



So instead...
I had to figure emotional and sensory regulation instead of body languages and expressions for myself.

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I assume that such practice could be useful in masking.

I find looking in a mirror as uncomfortable as eye contact.

I never practiced in the mirror, but I would practice smiling a lot as that's one facial expression I struggle with. Perhaps I should try it in the mirror some.

I still practice smiling with a mirror occasionally 'cause I try to learn a way that doesn't make me look stupid in photos if I smile in them.

Other than that, I don't recall ever doing it.

I'm pretty sure I did and I used to research body language to make sure that I did it as well as watch people and take notes.

I was in a drama class and one of the exercises was to convince a classmate that you felt some way towards them, e.g. "I love you". I recall varying my tone of voice, but I don't recall that I varied my expression. I remember it took forever to convince my classmates, which seemed odd to me - surely my tone was conveying the feeling. Thankfully, I was more convincing (natural) during productions.

I my have practiced in front of a mirror a few times, but didn't like it. Self esteem issues.

Yesterday my 10yo daughter was frustrated some classmates called her a liar and she observed that she was smiling (nervously) the whole time which probably didn't help her cause. She was not lying of course. Misunderstanding.

There's an Among Us live-action YouTube video which just tickles me pink. They ask a character if she's the villain and she says "no". They ask her "Then why are you smiling?" She says "Because any time somebody asks me if I am the villain, I smile. I can't help it and it's becoming a real problem." They say "If you're not the villain, stop smiling". But she doesn't and they vote her out of the game. Come to find out that of course she wasn't the villain.

Perhaps my daughter and that character need more practice in front of a mirror.

I was sent to a Leaders Preparation Course in the Army over 50 years ago. At the entrance to the barracks was a full length mirror where you were supposed to salute yourself before entering the barracks and say, "Request permission to enter Sir". This was supposed to help people see themselves as leaders.

A friend of mine walked up to the mirror and saluted with his left hand and said, "Wrong hand Sir". We all cracked up.