body dysmorphia: Hi i suffer from bdd and it is... - OCD Support

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body dysmorphia

searsk2017 profile image
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Hi i suffer from bdd and it is taking over my life. I'm disgusted with how i look and when my friends and bf say how beautiful i'm i doubt everything. It is taking over my life it makes me so upset. I lost 15 pounds but i honestly don't feel it will ever be good enough or be happy.

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searsk2017
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Sallyskins profile image
Sallyskins

May I ask how old you are? Most of us worry about our appearance when we are young, in our teens particularly, and we usually start to get more confident as we get older. That said, it sounds as though you are really miserable about your appearance. Please get some professional help if you are not already.

Don't lose more weight unless you need to, that is, if you are overweight. Skinny isn't necessarily beautiful, unless that is how you are naturally. Make sure you eat nutritiously, but allow for some treats as well!

Is there a reason you are aware of about how you came to feel this way? If someone bullied you when you were younger it could be having its effect on you now.

Remember that nobody can be perfectly beautiful, and it is often people's imperfections that make them genuinely beautiful. To be perfect would be to be boring! Think about how you feel about your friends, how you like them as they are and value them. They feel the same about you. It sounds to me as though people like and love you as you are. It's a horrible condition, I know, but you can get better.

Resist the temptation to pore over your 'imperfections', remember that they are a part of what make you you, and that you are great as you are. All of us wish we could improve our appearance a bit! And that even goes for many physically beautiful people. Don't doubt other people when they tell you that you are beautiful. For them you are good enough, in fact better than good enough.

searsk2017 profile image
searsk2017 in reply toSallyskins

wow sally that was so sweet i really appreciate that. I'm 34 i think i was hanging out with friends that were so into themselves that i became so focused on how i looked. Also i was out in the dating world i was married and with my husband since i was 19 and that really took a toll on my appearance guys were so harsh today . i have an amazing boyfriend that loves me the way i'm and i lost 15 pounds. physically i'm strong but mentally i'm not which stinks. i'm over obsessed with working out and how i look at every moment and how people judge me.

Sallyskins profile image
Sallyskins in reply tosearsk2017

Thanks for not taking offence about your age! It's just that BDD often rears its ugly head in one's teens. I think it's great that you work out but it doesn't do to overdo it. Muscles need a rest occasionally! They can get damaged with too much working out. Aim to be generally fit! That's good enough.

Try not to take on board the attitudes of shallow people. Beauty really does come from within as well as without, and people will like you for all kinds of things about you. I know it sounds cliche'd but facial expression and body language are part of it. Some 'celebrities' are so bloody perfect, but they have all the personality of shop dummies!

The dating scene has become so much about immediate impressions and one could easily swipe away someone who could be a soul mate. All about the image! But at least you've got someone. He's not asking you to be perfect. Accept that he's with you because you're you, not someone else.

Don't constantly compare yourself with other people, and certainly not airbrushed images! Most of us do a bit of that, I know, I certainly do. But then forget about it, and be glad that you're you.

searsk2017 profile image
searsk2017 in reply toSallyskins

Oh no offense at all honestly I’m in better shape now then I was at 24. Your right beauty does come from within and with social media and today’s photoshopped pictures it’s hard to see real the real person. I dated for 2 years and all the guys wanted was a hot skinny girl. My boyfriend is amzing and so supportive and tells me how beautiful and strong I’m. I just wished I believed everything people told me I’m not looking for attention I’m just so hard on my myself.

Sallyskins profile image
Sallyskins in reply tosearsk2017

All these men who want hot skinny girls! And they're nothing to write home about! But men are also being expected to be 'perfect' but for my part I think all those bulging muscles and oiled and hairless figures a turn off in a man. Also I think they fancy themselves more than they fancy any woman.

Don't be hard on yourself. Most of us feel a bit insecure about our appearance. Enjoy being told you're beautiful by your boyfriend and other people and don't feel you have to live up to a mythical perfection. As I said, the most beautiful people have imperfections, and they are what make them beautiful.

searsk2017 profile image
searsk2017 in reply toSallyskins

Aww thanks sally your input is so sweet and thoughtful. It really made my day

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