Reclaim Your Reflection: Body Dysmorphia
Have you ever caught yourself staring at your reflection, fixating on a perceived flaw? Maybe it’s the size of your nose, the shape of your smile, or a scar you wish would disappear. Most of us feel somewhat dissatisfied with particular aspects of our appearance from time to time. Many of us also engage in grooming to a certain extent; checking the mirror to see how we look, using make-up to cover a blemish, or getting treatments to enhance our physical appearance. Through my work as a therapist and within my personal life, I’ve witnessed the pressure of society’s beauty standards, and how it can greatly impact someone’s self-esteem and body image. While this experience is fairly common, there is a difference between temporary dissatisfaction with your appearance and a diagnosis. For someone with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), this preoccupation can take over your daily life, leading to a constant loop of anxiety, self-doubt, and shame.
BDD is more than just feeling insecure about your appearance from time to time. It’s an intense worry and preoccupation about perceived flaws in your appearance—flaws that are often minor or even invisible to others. These thoughts can feel so overwhelming that they start to interfere with your relationships, work, and ability to enjoy life. It’s more common than you might think, affecting about 2% of the population, and all genders equally. This preoccupation often emerges in adolescence and can endure for years before someone seeks help.
Someone with Body Dysmorphic Disorder might:
Spend hours scrutinizing themselves in the mirror or, conversely, avoid mirrors altogether.
Use makeup, clothing, or other strategies to conceal their perceived flaws.
Compare themselves to others obsessively or seek constant reassurance about their looks.
Avoid social situations, intimacy, or photos because of fear of judgment.
Frequently ask others for validation about the area of concern, often feeling dissatisfied with their responses.
Undergo unnecessary medical or cosmetic procedures to “fix” the perceived flaw, often without feeling satisfied with the results.
Experience significant emotional distress, such as shame, anxiety, or depression, that interferes with their ability to function daily.
Fixate on their appearance for hours to the point where it disrupts work, school, or relationships.
These behaviors can create a vicious cycle. The more you focus on the perceived flaw, the more it seems to grow in your mind. BDD can stem from a mix of factors like cultural beauty standards, bullying or teasing, harsh criticism or judgment by others, or life transitions (such as adolescence). The brain can play tricks on us, too: the more we focus on something, the more distorted and dissatisfactory it becomes.
If you’re resonating with this blog so far, please know this: you’re not alone, and there are ways to interrupt the patterns that often intensify these worries. Here are a few strategies that can help:
Postpone the Preoccupation: Instead of letting intrusive thoughts about your appearance dominate your day, schedule a short period (say, 20 minutes) to think about them. The most important part of postponement is allowing the initial thought about your appearance to arise, and then choosing not to chase that thought right now. When those thoughts pop up outside of your allotted time, remind yourself, “I scheduled time to handle this later.”
Challenge the Narrative: Ask yourself, “What is evidence that supports or contradicts my belief?” Writing down these thoughts in a journal can help you step back and see them more objectively.
Reevaluate Behaviors: Notice the habits that keep the cycle going, like mirror-checking or avoiding social events. Ask, “What’s the goal of this behavior, and is it helping me feel better?” Small changes, like reducing how often you check the mirror, can make a big difference.
Shift Your Focus: It can take time to train your attention and form new habits. When you catch yourself hyper-focusing on a perceived flaw, redirect your attention. Engage in an activity that requires concentration, like cooking, playing a game, or spending time in nature.
Living in a state of self-loathing can be exhausting and isolating, and you don’t have to face it alone. Therapy is a great place to explore the deeper beliefs driving your concerns, recognize your worth and value, and equip you with tools to break free from the cycle. If this blog resonates with you, consider reaching out to our Client Care Coordinator to set up a session with one of the therapists at Root to Rise Therapy. Together, we can work toward a healthier relationship with yourself and your body!
Warmly,
Sophia Rodriguez, AMFT
Reference
Anderson, R., Saulsman, L., McEvoy, P., Fursland, A., Nathan, P., & Ridley, S. (2012). Building Body Acceptance: Overcoming Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions.
