Body Dysmorphia
As heard on Muse by Mariah: The Podcast
Body Dismorphic Disorder or BDD is classified as a mental illness in which the person is fixated on a particular aspect of their body, most often, invisible to others. They can go to the lengths of editing their pictures or even medical enhancing procedures to help ‘fix’ their percieved flaw.
For me, I was unfamiliar with what BDD was up until recently, when I saw a TikTok trend that featured athletic-built women uncomfortable with the way they look in the mirror and using the phrase “body dysmorphia”. After researching what BDD was and its symptoms, I started to realize that I have experienced some of these symptoms for years and have now just started getting comfortable with my body within this past year. Some of the symptoms include:
Constantly examining yourself in a mirror, fixated on a particular aspect of their body (ie; hair, weight, acne, arms, legs, etc).
Purposely avoiding social situations because of this percieved flaw.
Constantly comparing themselves to others through real life situations and/or social media.
May experience anxiety, depression, unwanted thoughts, or compulsive behavior.
When I began brainstorming how to go about this topic for my podcast episode, I thought back to a time where I first felt conscious about my body. My thought process on this was, if I were to try to figure out the root of the problem, I can then create a mental timeline, up until present day, which would better help me accept everything about my body and acknowledging the steps I have taken thus far.
The timeline began in elementary school and I remember it getting exceedingly worse with the rise in social media. That is when I started editing my pictures to more fit your typical ‘Instagram’ model; waist smaller, ass bigger, smaller jawline, etc. I didn’t realize it then how much pyschological damage it was doing because when I would looked in the mirror, I wasn’t the same person posted in those pictures.
I have always been an athlete. Constantly working out, but with no goals in mind and never followed any kind of diet. When social media became a major thing I started trying different diets, none of which worked for me. 2 years ago I did the keto diet (which I have an article about under ‘health’). I lost 25lbs and was the skinniest I’ve been in my teenage/adult years. I later realized it wasn’t a long-term lifestyle I could live. I was depriving myself of foods I wanted to eat, purposely skipping meals to stay in a caloric deficit, and overall just not happy, even when the weight was coming off.
It wasn’t until this year I started reading in depth all my food labels. Taking out unhealthy foods from my diet and replacing them with things I actually want to eat, but they serve a nutrional value. These things have now become apart of my routine and I have seen the changes not only physcially, but mentally as well.
How do you go about helping someone who suffers from BDD?
First, you listen. Just listen to what they have to say. Let them vent about what they are feeling and never invalidate their emotions.
Second, routine is important in our everyday lives. Not to the point where if we miss the time to do something it messes everything up, but it helps keep us on our toes and our life in check. Help them get a routine going, even if thats starting with one thing a week. Reading a chapter of a self-help book each morning or night or drinking your daily amount of water everyday. It takes 12 days of consistency to build a routine, just under 2 weeks. Consistency is the key.
Third, finding a good therapist is golden. Someone without any kind of bias to listen and help you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with going to therapy.
Fourth, take a break from the socials!! Even if its for one day, or one hour. We spend so much time on our phones and devices we don’t realize how much we’re missing out in life, how much we could accomplish in a day, and the constant flow of negative things we are absorbing (and believe me I am 100% guilty of this. Every Sunday when I get the iPhone usage notification of 6+ hours/day, I just want to throw my phone away).
Lastly, take each day as it comes, good or bad. There is something to be said about a person who wakes up everyday and continues to move forward, even after each setback, each “no”, each bad day. Live in the moment and acknowledge the steps you're taking to becoming your best self.