5 Tips to recover from Body Dysmorphia Disorder

It is ok to ask for help. We are only human. We have flaws and imperfections. Unfortunately, we do not have superpowers like wonder woman, wasp, or Jean Grey.

You are prone to other mental health disorders when you suffer from mental health issues. My BDD (body dysmorphia disorder) started in my late teens. Because of my BDD, I risk developing anorexia nervousa or bulimia nervousa. Add on my anxiety/depression that developed after having my children, and I can get a mental shitstorm brewing in no time if I do not take care of my mental health.

Take care of your Mental Health

I can also display extreme behaviors when I am not in a good place with my mental health. This fills me with fear that I may pass this down to my children. I struggle to share all my BDD, unhealthy eating habits, and extreme practices regarding my body because I do not want them to think this is a good practice to try out.

I do try to explain to them how food is nourishment and pleasure. Eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables is a great way to fill our bodies with essential nutrients so we can be strong, intelligent, and healthy. We should indulge in delicious treats now and then but not overindulge. My husband and I have explained that skipping meals and overeating is unhealthy.

In the past, I have skipped meals or eaten very little to try to reach specific goals. I would also obsessively weigh myself 2x a day. If the scale went up, I would eat even less the next day to bring it back down. Note: If you weigh yourself, you should only weigh yourself 1x a week and at the same time of the day each time you weigh yourself. Weighing yourself every day is not an accurate measurement as you can retain water weight from foods, hydration levels, and hormones.

For a long time, I would only weigh myself when I saw my healthcare professional. I had to stop weighing myself altogether to stop the lack of eating. I also do not want my children to see me weighing myself every day and starting to do the same thing. These days I occasionally weigh myself but not on any regular basis.

I have been working to keep my mental health in a good place for the last 10 years. I have worked with a therapist and implemented healthy practices to change my unhealthy behaviors to recover from BDD and ED. I have good days and bad days in this recovery process. This process will be lifelong, utilizing the tools I have learned over the last 10 years and continuing to work on my mental health.

Make healthy choices

During this recovery process, I have learned to make healthy choices, abstain from extreme behaviors, speak kindly to myself, forgive myself, communicate, and do self-care. Some of these I implemented myself, and others I learned from therapy. Working with a therapist was very helpful to my mental health and how I make choices.

Being open and asking for help from a professional gave me tools and techniques to use when I am having bad days or moments so that I do not take extreme measures that are not rational or healthy. If you read where it all started, you have an idea of those extreme behaviors. If not, click here to read it to understand.

The work I put in with a therapist has helped me to not beat myself up for eating certain foods, talking negatively about myself, communicating with loved ones about what I was going through, and taking better care of myself mentally and physically. She also advised me to ditch all the diets I have done in the past with a balanced nutritious diet instead of denying myself things because I was under the assumption they were "Bad."

With the digestive issues that came to a head this year, it became clear that omitting whole food groups or food generally is detrimental to your health. The only thing I omit these days is Gluten due to the severe sensitivity I have from destroying my gut microbiome. Maybe one day I will be able to eat it again, but for now, that is not a necessary nutrient.

Educate yourself

I have taken several courses on nutrition to educate myself on the nutritional benefits from food. I avoid fad diets and social posts claiming to have the answers regarding losing weight. I have been reading about herbal medicine and adding adaptogens to my nutrition. I am still working on loving my body and openly communicating with my loved ones.

Find what works for you. You may not have to completely stop doing something because you do not have extreme behaviors. You may need to reach out to a therapist to get help. Be open with your loved ones about how you feel so you have a support system that you can lean on. Don't beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon of recovery, learn from it and move forward in your recovery process.

Forgive yourself

I am still on the road to recovery but have made significant strides since starting to heal. I still have times of guilt from eating something I think I shouldn't have. I remind myself that I did not completely derail my diet by having what I deem unacceptable. I still have moments when I want to skip meals. I reach out for help during these times to get support to make healthy choices. If I do something that is not healthy, I try to learn from it so I can change that behavior.

Writing down how you are feeling when you are eating can be a help to finding what triggers you. A trigger for me is the holidays. Which so much food it can get overwhelming rather quickly. I worry that others are looking at my plate and thinking there is not enough food on it or talking amongst themselves about what I did or didn't eat. My anxiety over the social experience and all the food can sometimes be debilitating.

For this upcoming holiday season, I will try to focus on having fun, loving myself, spending quality time with loved ones, and staying out of my head as much as possible. It is highly unlikely others are talking about or thinking about what you are eating or not eating. What you see in the mirror is not what others see. Have fun and enjoy yourself. These are all things I will be telling myself over the holiday season. Feel free to use them yourself, make a post-it note, and put it on your mirror to remind yourself.

Professional therapy is much easier to access these days with online treatment options. Check with your employer to see if they offer employee assistance programs for mental health. You may be able to get a certain amount of therapy sessions at no cost to you to get started. The two main online programs I know of are BetterHelp and Talkspace, which run promotions to give you discounts when you sign up. If you are a student, you can reach out to counselors on your campus for help. If they cannot help you, they can refer you to someone or services that can help you.

Help is available

You are loved, worthy, beautiful, and not alone. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, there is help. You can call or text 800-931-2237 at no cost to speak with trained volunteers to help you find the support and information you need. If you are in a crisis and need immediate assistance, text "NEDA" to 741741 to be connected with a trained volunteer 24/7.

Here is an excellent resource with many links to help you find resources and recovery options. Click here. Help is available if you want it.

-Tina