“Love yourself” and “self-love” have been trending everywhere — be it on social media, in your friend circle or in the traditional media. I believe that the hype regarding “self-love” is much needed and should remain in the limelight. Or else, you might not even realise before developing a mental health issue yourself.
Yes, you read that right. If you don’t love yourself enough you might develop Body Dysmorphic Disorder. It has to do with your physical appearance and makes you worry about minor flaws regarding your physical appearance. Examples of such flaws could be a scar, pimple, crooked smile, small or large breasts etc.
It makes you think that any person who crosses your path is looking at your defect or flaw and thus, makes you uncomfortable, awkward or insecure about your appearance. However, in reality, the person you meet might not have even noticed that minute flaw in your appearance. Hence, all of these scenarios are “self-created” and hamper your mental well-being.
In an attempt to “fix” or “cancel out” your flaw or defect, you happen to try out various cosmetic products, weird and crazy home remedies that claim to help you instantly, or the worse could be going for surgery. They might temporarily satisfy your urge to “fix the defect”, however, gradually, they carve their path back to your brain and start to bother you all over again.
Red Flags To Look For If You’re Suffering From Body Dysmorphic Disorder
People aged between 15 to 30 tend to develop body dysmorphia. The disorder is largely found among women more than men, as per a study.
One of the main symptoms of body dysmorphia is focusing on a minute defect and being concerned about it, whereas, in reality, it isn’t that big of a deal. The major organs of focus are the face, specifically the nose, lips, teeth. Other than the face, breasts and genitals are also a cause of concern for those suffering from body dysmorphic order.
Other symptoms include believing that a minute defect makes you unattractive, attempting to fix defects by using products or constantly looking in the mirror. Other than fixing it, people often hide their defects or flaws using make-up.
How To Prevent Yourself From Developing Body Dysmorphia
The best way to prevent yourself from developing body dysmorphia is to practice self-love and acceptance. Acceptance includes embracing who you are and how you look, while also embracing minutes scars and defects on your physical appearance.
It is essential to be confident and comfortable in the way you look and carry yourself, without letting minor defects control you and your mind. Loving yourself is the first step and what follows is to restrict yourself from fixing or hiding your flaws.
You must also understand that what you think is a big deal might not be noticed or paid heed to by others. Hence, your focus shouldn’t be on your minute flaws.
Also, if you happen to develop body dysmorphia, it would be better to seek medical help in order to be able to come out of the situation. However, the greatest help you can do for yourself is to give all the love to yourself and be confident about who you are and your appearance.