Every day I get up, look in the mirror, and get ready for school. I look in the mirror as I brush my teeth and as I walk out the door. I’ve even become accustomed to looking at my reflection as I walk down the halls.

I decided to challenge myself to give up these simple, everyday luxuries to see if I could defy evolved human instinct.

The night of Oct. 28, I covered up all the mirrors in my bathroom, turned around the one in my bedroom, and took the rest off the walls. I also sent my last snapchats of the week using frontcam. I was ready … or so I thought.

The first morning of my challenge I woke up and went to get ready, only to discover I just had to wing it. Just to be safe, I used a makeup remover wipe over my entire face. Then after attempting to put on mascara without a mirror, I scrubbed all around my eyes to remove the damage of that ordeal.

Coming into school not knowing how I looked didn’t bother me too badly. Most of these people have seen me on my worst days. However, on the weekends, walking out of my house without an idea of what my outfit looked like or how my hair parted the night before, was the most unsettling and awkward feeling.

Throughout the week I had to constantly remind myself not to look at mirrors or reflections, and it was a struggle. My mind had become programmed to know when and where to look in order to see itself, and it was addicted to the sight.

I would find myself instinctively turning my head to look at my reflection as I walked down the halls or sat in a car, and then I would immediately chastise myself. I even knew where to look at my friends’ houses. It was almost disconcerting how much control my subconscious has.

I came to rely on my shadow a lot. It wasn’t a mirror, but I would use my silhouette on walls and concrete to try to get an idea of how my hair looked or if my clothes were out of place.

The hardest occasion of all had to be not looking in a mirror after the field hockey team won the IAAM B conference championship. It may sound odd, but I had this burning desire to see my face after we won and to see the smile and excitement and joy I was feeling.

When the challenge ended, I took the sheets down and made eye contact with my reflection for the first time in a week, but the sense of relief I was expecting to wash over me didn’t come. The following days I found myself still turning away from my reflection or avoiding the mirrors in the bathrooms. I was obviously grateful to be able to see myself again, but strangely, this short period of time without indulgence curbed the desire just a smidge.

Trying to avoid mirrors and reflections all together is impossible. It is natural human instinct to want to know what you look like. I don’t think this desire to see ourselves makes us vain or egotistical, I think it makes us human. Just don’t spend your life looking in the mirror. Get out there and challenge yourself, because what’s a life worth living without a challenge?

Claire Grunewald is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.