Body Dysmorphia
One of the many mental disorders that plague the modern world is body dysmorphia, a disorder within which one is obsessed with his or her appearance and believes that their physical features are not only unattractive but are personally responsible for feeling unloved, unwanted, and unworthy. These negative thoughts about one’s external appearance can lead to a host of potential deadly consequences such as suicidal ideation or other self-destructive behaviours. Body dysmorphic disorder can manifest in both men and women.
What is Body Dysmorphia?
Body dysmorphia is characterised by an obsessive desire to improve one’s physical appearance. It is common for a person suffering from body dysmorphic disorder to be obsessed with a specific flaw in their appearance that most people would regard as trivial. For example, if the patient suffers from this condition because of his or her nose, he or she will believe it to be oversized and misshapen.
This reasonable delusion of a new and significant flaw in his or her physical appearance can lead to severe depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and other mental health disorders. Studies have shown that people suffering from body dysmorphia are also more likely to commit suicide than people without the disorder.
Body Dysmorphia is seeing a different body in the mirror than what the general consensus see. Body Dysmorphia is a state of mind, you could categorise it as a mental illness in some cases. Mental illness sounds a bit strong right? Well no, body dysmorphia affects many different types of people, ripped up body builders have body dysmorphia and people who are obese have the same illness.
Body dysmorphia is where the said person is struggling with their appearance, these flaws are often only in the mind of the holder and unnoticeable to others. You may have body dysmorphic disorder if you worry a lot about how a specific part of your body looks and it affects your daily life.
Signs and symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder include:
Body dysmorphia is a messed up little mental illness where we convince ourselves that others are mocking you or commenting on your appearance.
Common Symptoms:
⭐️Being extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in appearance that to others can't be seen
⭐️Strong belief that you have a defect in your appearance that makes you ugly or deformed
⭐️ Belief that others take special notice of your appearance in a negative way or mock you
⭐️ Engaging in behaviours aimed at fixing or hiding the perceived flaw that are difficult to resist or control, such as frequently checking the mirror, grooming or skin picking
⭐️Attempting to hide perceived flaws with styling, makeup or clothes
⭐️ Constantly comparing your appearance with others
⭐️ Frequently seeking reassurance about your appearance from others
⭐️ Having perfectionist tendencies
⭐️Seeking cosmetic procedures with little satisfaction
When I was younger I hated being ginger, to the point I was suicidal because I didn’t look like most people, the freckles, pale skin, orange hair all over the gaff (now I’m losing it I’m praying for it to grow back)🤣 and if anyone called me “ginner” I’d flip and smack them which then got me in trouble at school & excluded from 2 of them because of it. Being ginger in the UK is something to be ridiculed for because it’s a little different. So my body dysmorphia was pretty intense because there was 10-20 things I hated about my appearance.
Social media is the absolute devil for this and planting shit in peoples minds of a perfect physique.
𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐝𝐲𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐚?
Simple: not giving a single fuck what anyone thinks. Fitness is for you , the individual, not to please others or be questioned by others either.
This picture for example. I had a pump from the gym, good lighting and wearing black.
I felt good so I posted it on social media.
I don’t give two fucks about what anyone thinks of me.
Keep your circle smaller than a wedding ring, delete negative people, remember social media is ALL FAKE it can provide insights and influence but it's fake, fitness is for you and no matter your size you’re beaut as you are.
Doctors as per usual will throw a pill at this and say you're depressed. They will advise going on antidepressants because GP's in the UK aren't trained in mental health, but that is subject to change due to Boris Employing Dr Alex as the mental advisor in the UK. So in my opinion the only way to cure is dysmorphia is to.......not give a single fuck what people think. Seriously that's the cure, no one is looking at you in the gym and no one is seeing the flaws you are, that's a fact. Sounds simple right?
Well it isn't, but if you develop a mindset where you don't care what anyone says or thinks that's the first step. Fitness is for the individual, if you look in the mirror that's your ONLY competition. Read that again.
Ash x
