Body Dysmorphia and Perception; What is Influencing Your Mind?

Some people look at themselves in the mirror and see what’s really there

Some of those people are judgmental of what they see and some aren’t

Some people look in the mirror and don’t see reality, but rather a contorted image of themselves

People with body dysmorphia tend to hone in and focus on “flaws” or things that draw their attention and make them out to be way bigger than they really are

For example, some people become so obsessive about how a facial feature looks that they get super self conscious about it, want to change it, feel like everyone is staring at it, or like it’s the first thing people see—this happens a lot with blemishes but can also be seen in people who continue to get surgery without ever finding happiness with that structure

Similarly, people who express body image issues tend to see their body way differently than it is OR obsess on one specific area (let’s take the stomach for example)
.
They might constantly stare at it, pinch it, think it is huge, check it in the mirror, pull at their clothing, cover it up, deny compliments of any change, and become so concerned with its appearance to others

But how and why is this happening?

While earning my degree in Psychology I learned about perception, which really is everything

Perception is how we take in stimuli, process it, and then do something with it like form a belief or make a statement or take an action

It’s influenced by the sensory input like something smelling a certain way and then experiences, knowledge, thought patterns, environment, conditioning, culture, memory, witnessing others experiences; basically all the ways we experience the world around us so maybe that smell is actually very nostalgic to you but to someone else REEKS of an ex

So the reason some people judge their body differently than others can come from their conditioning or worldview which is not just a product of their own choosing but people, ads, culture, & the things I previously listed all around them weaving into the subconscious & of course past experiences like being called fat by peers at a young age & associating this with being bad, ugly, & undesirable then carrying that with you for life (UNTIL YOU ADDRESS IT OF COURSE—because you can change these things)

But it’s also sometimes genetic, or even because of the way someone brains functions differently than someone else’s

Some studies have shown that people with BDD that leads to disordered eating have different activation in their neural networks & some even show inhibited spatial organization or body orientation

I hope that this provides some perspective and hope for you if you’re struggling to know that even if it feels like something is “wrong with” you or you are exhibiting some of these unhealthy behaviors that you’re only just recently becoming aware of, the good news is YOU CAN CHANGE❤️🧠💆🏻‍♀️

---