The mirror does not punish you for looking; it simply refuses to participate in the lie.

An honest look at yourself is not a punishment, though it can feel like one when you have avoided it for a while. What actually happens is simply that the account stops being flattered. Nothing accuses you. The discomfort comes from the gap between what you have been saying and what is there.

When you feel the urge to look away from something about yourself, stay a few seconds longer than is comfortable. Notice that nothing bad is happening beyond the feeling. That extra few seconds, repeated, is most of what honesty consists of.