Self Conscious
by pbachman21 · 6 comments 4 years ago
pbachman21 · 4 years ago
I hate my body but I like my face. But my body dysmorphia is starting to make me hate my face and my body even more. I’m not sure what to do.
parisqeen · 4 years ago
Firstly, you're right you have a lovely face but also a lovely body. Body dysmorphia is a difficult thing to deal with, like any self conscious act it tends to stem from something else entirely. Sometimes it starts up after a break up, or during a stressful period in our life, we just hone in on things that could've been the culprit or sometimes it just starts without any clear indication of why. Regardless, it is all a mental obstacle that with time you can break through. Usually I would suggest therapy but in these times it might be hard so I will start by asking questions, if that's okay. You don't have to answer but it might help to clarify why exactly you feel this way, is there a specific part of your body you don't like? do you notice yourself trying to hide it?
pbachman21 · 4 years ago
I’ve got several points. My shoulders are broad, my side profile is gross, my weight is high, I’ve got a pot belly (it curses every girl in my family), I don’t like my breasts, my forehead is big, I’m tall, I scare some potential partners away because I intimidate them 9 times out of 10. I just don’t feel like how I used to feel.
parisqeen · 4 years ago
I don't think the intimidation part has to do with your body but I can see how that would make you perceive your body in a different light. Do you remember when you started feeling like this?
pbachman21 · 4 years ago
When I was maybe in 2nd grade the first thing I was ever self conscious about was my feet cause I thought they were too big
parisqeen · 4 years ago
So this has been going on for awhile, that's okay, we can work through it and focus on making you feel better about who you are. I think it's important to remember that as a person you are so much more than your appearance.
Alrighty, because I'm not legally a professional psychologist I can only try my best which I am very happy to do. I also can't diagnose you with body dysmorphia or any other possible illnesses so I'm going to approach this as I would with a friend who may have low self-esteem/ be self conscious. Are you happy to try and commit to some form of long term approaches? Like CBT? Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is driven by the individual (so you), it mainly focuses on your thought patterns and how to tackle any negative thinking patterns. If that sounds too difficult or structured I'm happy just to listen to you and offer advice in a more casual way.