Maybe BDD?
Hi... so for as long as I can remember, I have always had problems with how my body looked (specifically my stomach). I remember in elementary school I would look in the mirror and tell my mom, “my stomach looks big”. She, being the great mom (and possible Dysmorphic) she is, she always told me I didn’t have a big stomach. I’ve never stopped eating or restricted my food intake, but recently I feel I have been paying more attention to what I eat and I feel guilty after I eat. I’m also constantly checking how I look in the mirror and stepping on a scale, especially after I eat. I’ve also became really fixated on doing ab workouts and stuff like that.
For some reason, it’s been really bad these last couple weeks. Like effecting my mental health bad. And it doesn’t help that I’m a stress eater, which only makes my mentality worse. Does anyone else experience this? Does this sound like BDD? I haven’t been clinically diagnosed, but it feels like this is what I’m experiencing. I just need assistance with how to fight through this.
@jessie06 Hi there! It sounds like your concerns about your body and appearance have been playing a lot on your mind recently. I understand what it's like to worry about gaining weight and changes in your appearance. If you feel like these thoughts have been intruding on your day-to-day activity and making it harder for you to enjoy living your life, then it might be helpful to go to a professional to check about a diagnosis. Tracking the kind of thoughts you've been having, its impact on your mood and your personal and social life, are all useful areas you can watch out for, to understand how you're doing! The food you eat is not your enemy, and neither is your body, no matter what size. Reminding yourself of that might be a good place to start as you continue to figure out how to work through this experience.
@AMA101
Great points AMA! 😁 However, remember, it's not your fault for having these thoughts jessie, and even if you know that they might be illogical, it can be extremely difficult to sit with these thoughts regardless. Please take care of yourself ❤️ A professional can probably guide you with this appropriately.
