Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Gaining a new perspective
• Part 2 of 3: Changing BDD Behavior
• Part 3 of 3: Seeking professional and social support
• Tips

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental illness that affects millions of people but receives little attention from the general public. BDD is a chronic mental illness related to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in which a physical defect, minor or imagined, causes enough shame and discomfort and thus affects the daily functioning of patients. You may be wondering why you can't stop obsessing about how you look, why you can't stop looking in the mirror, or why you can't stop picking your skin. If you feel that your unwavering interest in your appearance is controlling your life and causing a lot of misery, then you may have BDD. Here's a basic guide to help you learn how to deal with the disorder.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Gaining a new perspective

1. Take an objective, straightforward look at your beliefs about your appearance. It's nearly impossible to deal with BDD if you are unaware of the precise content of your obsessive thoughts. This is because if these thoughts are not explored and changed, they will persist despite any behavioral changes that have been made.
   • Some general assumptions related to appearance commonly held by BDD patients include:
     • "When people see who I really am, they will find this disgusting."
     • "If I can see the problem, everyone should notice."
     • "If I don't keep my standards tight, I'll let myself go."
     • "If I don't look perfect, no one will ever love me."
     • "If I look attractive, then I will be successful in life."
     • "If I'm ugly, then I have no value."
2. Train your mind to make positive evaluations of yourself in social situations. Many people who suffer from BDD tend to overestimate the likelihood that others will react in a negative way to their appearance, underestimate their ability to deal with it should this occur, and submit information that indicates that it is not all that bad as predicted. These prejudices can be corrected by knowing that they are common thinking errors.
   • For example, if you are attending a social event, notice how few people have made negative comments about your appearance and how positively people have responded to your presence at the event, or how often you received a compliment.
3. Brainstorm other ways to understand your appearance. While this can be difficult, try to play devil's advocate and challenge your own beliefs. Rethink the way you judge your own appearance by realistically thinking about how others feel about you, and how important appearance is more generally.
   • If you are convinced that your appearance determines your worth as a person, remind yourself of the many qualities that you from others. Note that these other qualities are unaffected by appearance and you have the ability to value people no matter what they look like.
4. Focus on what you contribute. Comparative thinking (ie, "Am I more beautiful or less beautiful than __?") Is one of the main ways we develop unrealistic expectations about ourselves. By fully exploring the qualities and the spirit that are unique to "you", it is much more difficult to focus on what you do not have.
   • This can be particularly difficult, given that many BDD patients receive regular reassurance about their appearance, without it appearing to be beneficial.

Part 2 of 3: Changing BDD Behavior

1. List your rituals and behaviors around your appearance. Without full clarity left what it is you do in response to recurring thoughts about your appearance it will be very difficult to intervene. Before making any behavioral changes, which can often be a painful process, write down the daily behaviors traceable to the condition and its frequency. Only list behaviors that occur so often that it interferes with your daily life (social work, school, personal care).
   • The most common habits associated with BDD are:
     • Check your appearance in mirrors and windows.
     • Checking yourself by touching your skin with your fingers.
     • Cutting or fidgeting your hair, always trying to perfect it.
     • Pluck your skin to make it smoother.
     • Comparing yourself to models in magazines or people on the street.
     • Talk about your appearance often with others.
     • Camouflage or otherwise conceal your appearance.
2. Know your personal triggers. Your personal triggers are those situations, people, objects, and memories that lead to the compulsive thoughts and behaviors associated with BDD. By paying attention to the moments when you are taken over by pervasive thoughts and behaviors, you can get a clearer idea of ​​(1) the experiences you'd recognizing the roots of the fears and beliefs associated with BDD.
   • It is recommended that you use your knowledge of your triggers with care based on how severe your condition is. If you are in the throes of BDD, confined to your home, or in 24/7 obsessive mode, you may be too sensitive to start exploring the roots of your problem. It's a bit easier to take some distance by avoiding painful triggers in front of you are going to dig deep.
3. Expose yourself to real-life situations that undermine your beliefs. There are a number of ways that you can subject yourself to reality checks, most of which involve doing something scary and uncomfortable for you, and related to your BDD thoughts or behavior. This moment will then help you realize that the dreaded behavior is not as awful as you thought it would be. What's more, you will see the questionable nature of your perceived flaws.
   • For example, a girl concerned about a small tummy might be asked to show up in public wearing a tight T-shirt and then observe how many people are actually staring at her tummy. Noticing the immediate difference between that what you see and what others seeing can be a strong motivator for changing your beliefs.
     • Keep in mind that the purpose of this exercise is to touch you deeply. That said, don't expect to be able to expose yourself in this way without significantly troubling you. According to most psychotherapists, this level of exposure and discomfort is a necessary (but uncomfortable) part of the healing process.
4. Have a stable daily routine. A familiar routine of the things you do, especially in the morning, saves you the hassle of making small choices about what to do. Don't forget that taking care of the little things like watering your plants right after enjoying your first cup of morning coffee can put you particularly at ease.
5. Take care of yourself even better. There are a number of things you can do to improve your relationship with yourself during these struggles. The following are all things to let yourself know that you care about yourself and that you take an active interest in your own well-being:
   • Eat nutritious foods.
   • Get plenty of rest.
   • Take up a new hobby, such as gardening or cooking.
   • Join a literary club or other group-oriented activity.
6. Introduce more activity into your life. Exercise and exercise can help manage BDD symptoms such as depression, stress and anxiety. Go for a walk, jog, swim, garden, or engage in any other type of physical activity that you enjoy.
7. Keep a diary. A journal can be a reliable way to express fear, anger, and other emotions.

Part 3 of 3: Seeking professional and social support

1. Share your story with other patients and close friends and family. Since shame, disgust, and fear are the corresponding emotional parts of BDD, isolation can be one of the biggest barriers to addressing this.
   • As you open up to the people in your life, you may find that fair weather friends don't provide enough support, but those who accept you unconditionally can help you accept yourself in the same way. Before you talk about your problems, think carefully about who you think you are most yourself with, not just the people whose praise you find satisfying.
   • Note that the purpose of finding a community of people with the same problems is not useful if it is used to serve as a platform for enjoying the members' insecurities and confirming existing dissatisfaction with one's appearance. The idea is to feelings to share and not evaluations, judgments or other similar thoughts. If you find that people accidentally share their favorite ways of self-criticism instead of coping skills, you may want to reconsider joining such a community.
2. Learn about the underlying social problems that underlie BDD. Sure, BDD is person dependent, but why here? Why now? The great emphasis on body shape, size and body characteristics does not emerge without a social context for these concerns. Gaining an understanding of why and how these norms evolve can provide a great deal of reassurance, further reducing the guilt, doubts and shame arising from the internalization of these problems. Literature on BDD can be found here: [1].
   • This is an advanced coping skill best suited for those who are already curious about the workings of the social world. Know that in some cases recognizing the existence of this problem in society as separate from the person and beyond its existence in the person can lead to further denial of one's own symptoms.
3. Find a psychological counselor. A therapist who is familiar with BDD or who treats similar conditions (OCD, eating disorders, etc.) can help you overcome the symptoms associated with BDD, greatly improving your own coping skills. You can find lists of clinics and therapists on websites such as [2].
   • It is very likely that your therapist will prescribe a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and medication. SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed pharmaceutical drugs for BDD. SSRIs are also used in the treatment of depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Tips

• Try to resist the urge to have plastic surgery. As all BDD treatment plans suggest, the problem is not how you look, but how you think you look. That is why highly unlikely that plastic surgery is a definitive solution for BDD.
• Not all BDD patients are the same. While applying general coping tools (tools that are not tailored for you by a trained therapist), you should be aware that some ideas are very helpful, while others create more pressure than you can handle.