How self-image and perception shift — and finding pride in the new you
After a heart attack, it’s not just your body that changes — it’s how you see yourself.
There’s that strange, quiet moment when you catch your reflection and something feels off. The man staring back doesn’t quite look like the one you remember — tired eyes, softer shoulders, a face that’s seen more than it used to.
I remember that moment well. Standing in front of the mirror, thinking, “That can’t be me.” My mind was still catching up to what my heart had been through. The world kept saying I was “looking better,” but I couldn’t see it. Because the man I used to be — the strong, capable, always-busy one — had vanished.
That’s when I realised: recovery changes more than your heart. It changes your identity.
Learning to see yourself again
In those early months, I kept comparing everything to how it used to be.
How I moved. How I looked. Even how confident I used to feel.
But the mirror doesn’t lie — it just shows a version of you that’s still in progress.
What I didn’t see at first were the quiet signs of rebuilding: a steadier look in my eyes, a little more strength in my step, the calm that came from simply surviving.
Healing isn’t about going back to who you were.
It’s about respecting who you’re becoming.
Finding pride in the new you
As time went on, I started to see it differently.
That reflection wasn’t weakness — it was evidence. Proof that I’d made it through something life-changing and was still showing up.
Every scar, every new line on my face, every small step forward — it all told a story of strength.
So if you’ve looked in the mirror lately and felt that sting — that sense that you’ve lost the man you used to be — pause for a moment. What you’re seeing isn’t loss. It’s growth. It’s healing. It’s proof that you’re still here, still rebuilding, still becoming someone stronger.
🎧 Listen to Episode 8: “When the Mirror Lies”
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