Body dysmorphia is a topic that has been on my mind a lot lately. This is in part because of my own issues with it and in part because of what I’m trying to help my oldest child through right now. However, I think this is weighing on me a lot because it’s something so many of us struggle with and I want to raise awareness of it, provide some information that could be helpful, and offer some support to those dealing with body dysmorphia.
Today, I discuss:
- What body dysmorphia is.
- Causes and risk factors.
- Common signs and symptoms of body dysmorphia.
- Impact on mental health and wellbeing.
- Overcoming body dysmorphia.
Those of you who have been listening to my podcast or reading my blog for a while know that body dysmorphia is what was at the root of my lifelong weight loss obsession. It started when I was young, around age 10, when I had moved to a new school for the first time and first began experiencing bullying about my weight. The bullying continued from the time I was 10 through about age 17, when I was a junior in high school. It started with a couple of the popular boys in my fifth-grade class calling me fat and ugly, then by junior high, it had escalated to most of the school verbally attacking me and several different kids physically attacking me as well. I was hit with this at all angles, from girls in the locker room to boys in PE or in the quad at lunch.
It didn’t take too long for me to start internalizing the cruel words and physical attacks I was hearing and enduring daily. By the time I was 12 I was avoiding my reflection completely. I would cry getting dressed for school in the morning because I hated my reflection. It escalated to suicidal ideation and even contemplation as to how I could end my life, all before I was 13 years old. By the time I was 14 it escalated into eating disorders. Initially, I started with crazy dieting, eating no more than 7 grams of fat a day and doing cardio every day for 45-60 minutes after school. By the time I was 15, I was starving myself. Even though by this point most considered me “thin” I still saw myself as fat and disgusting. This even continued into adulthood, when I’d reached the lowest weight of my life and still hated my reflection. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was suffering from body dysmorphia.
So, let’s get into what exactly body dysmorphia is.
- Body dysmorphia defined.
The Mayo Clinic defines body dysmorphic disorder, or body dysmorphia as follows: a mental health condition in which you can’t stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance – a flaw that appears minor or can’t be seen by ithers.
Another definition, from WebMD: a mental health disorder that leads to distress over your appearance. You may think certain parts of your body are defects. As a result you may have a psychological distress that can interrupt your everyday life.
Web MD goes on to further break down two subtypes of body dysmorphia: first being muscle dysmorphia, which is essentially the perception that your body isn’t big enough or muscular enough. Second being body dysmorphia by proxy where you are focused on perceived flaws in other people. - Causes and risk factors.
Also according to WebMD, experts don’t know the exact cause of body dysmorphia. I honestly find this hard to believe. I can’t help wonder how it is possible that there are no studies digging into this. They further go on to posit that it has to do with the size of certain areas of the brain the process information related to body appearance. They also suggest it has something to do with the fact that people with body dysmorphia also tend to have major depression and anxiety. This seems obvious to me. Of course, these other conditions would be more likely within people who struggle with body image issues. I would argue depression and anxiety are biproducts of the body dysmorphia.
I would also argue we don’t need scientific journals to give us a clue as to where this comes from in a society that incessantly bombards us with impossible standards of beauty or “fitness.” Standards so impossible to achieve they have to edit the actual models to fit the standard they push. Research indicates body dysmorphia tends to start in our younger years, like adolescence and teens. There’s good reason people say “kids are mean.” So, I am not seeing how it is a big mystery where this starts or how.
Combine entering the formative years where your body is changing, being surrounded by hundreds of other kids going through the same, many of whom are verbally shredding each other daily, and society pushing images of beauty and “fitness” that are impossible and I say you’ve got yourself the perfect conditions to breed something like body dysmorphia.
All that said, John Hopkins Medicine lists the following as some factors that may contribute to body dysmorphia:
– family history of body dysmorphia
– abnormal levels of brain chemicals
– personality type
– life experiences - Common signs and symptoms of body dysmorphia.
Some of the common signs and symptoms of body dysmorphia include:
– constantly checking your appearance
– avoiding mirrors
– trying to hide your body or body part under clothing, hats, scarves, or make-up
– constantly exercising, dieting, or grooming
– constantly comparing yourself to others
– always asking others if you look ok
– negative inner dialog, negative self-talk
– avoiding social situations
– feeling like people are always looking at you critically
– never being satisfied with how you look in clothing
– lack of confidence in appearance
Many of these are noted by John Hopkins Medicine, Web MD or other sites and some were added from my own experience. - Impact on mental health and wellbeing.
Earlier I mentioned that there is seeming consensus that the cause of body dysmorphia is unknown, but there’s a connection with conditions like depression and anxiety. This seems like a chicken or egg thing to me; if you are struggling with body dysmorphia, which research seems to agree starts at a young age, then it makes sense that conditions like depression and anxiety would follow.
We also know that one of the risk factors suggested is differing levels of brain chemicals. This also makes sense when you consider that certain feelings/emotions result in our endocrine system and our nervous system releasing certain hormones and neurotransmitters in response to stimuli, such as emotions and experiences (which result in emotions). When the cycle repeats neuropathways are established, and it essentially becomes automatic. To change it, repetition, and conscious effort to reprogram the mind, or create new neuropathways is required. So, again, it seems more that body dysmorphia leads to these differing levels of brain chemicals as opposed to resulting from them. - Overcoming body dysmorphia.
If this is something you struggle with, seeking professional help with overcoming it may be the best option. That said, it is important to seek help for the body dysmorphia, specifically, so you can find professionals who specialize in this and understand that there could be other conditions like depression or anxiety that result from body dysmorphia.
One thing I have learned in my own journey is that to truly overcome it, you have to change your inner dialogue and shift your mindset. This is how you create new neuropathways, and new brain chemistry by extension. This takes time and consistency, but it can be done. And, in my experience, it won’t ever matter how much weight you lose or how many hip thrusts you do to grow that perfect booty you think you lack; if you don’t do the work to learn to love the body you have at every stage of your journey, you won’t ever be satisfied.
Making a conscious effort to change my inner dialogue, saying affirmations to myself all day every day, and doing my inner healing work were ultimately the things that made all the difference for me. If you need more help with how to do this, check out How to Change your Mindset.
I hope this has helped you gain a better understanding of body dysmorphia and the ways it may be affecting you. I understand how challenging it can be to not only live with body dysmorphia but also to reverse it, which is why I have built this into my 6-month coaching program, Phoenix Rising Initiation. I am enrolling for this now, you can reach out to me at Rachelle@faithfitnessjoy.com for more information on that.
I am also still running my FREE 30-Day Training Program through the rest of December. Click the link, apply, then follow the instructions in the Welcome Letter to get access. Thank you for stopping by!