Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Hi everyone! Sorry for not keeping up with the weekly check-ins these past few weeks.

I don't know if anyone else feels the same but sometimes you get so overwhelmed and you need to sort of just detox your mind for a bit.

So anyway I have a small burst of energy at the moment but I don't know how long that will last so I can't guarantee I'll be able to post consistently for the time being.

I was thinking about maybe setting up an automated post? I feel like they're impersonal which removes a lot of motivation for discussion but I might try it for a bit just to see how it goes.

Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope everybody is having a good week so far :)

So this was an absolute game-changer for me, but it was also something I didn't even consider as a potential option until about 4 years into my BDD.

When I look back, I find it really surprising I didn't at all consider it, but by the chance I'm not an outlier, I'd like to make men aware that this is a something they can consider.

On the website dermnetnz.org on the Cosmetic camouflage page, it says this:

'Cosmetic camouflage has been shown to improve the quality of life significantly. It improves patient self-esteem and creates a sense of personal well-being.'

This is when I first had the notion that this was something I could try, and I haven't looked back since.

At least for me, getting my skin to look initially better was really not much effort and surprisingly not one person noticed I had anything on my face.

However I am still getting better and better at using it. I recommend allowing yourself some time to learn how to do it before giving up on it, as does DermNet: 'It may take some practice to achieve a satisfactory final appearance.'

Also I highly recommend dermnetnz.org. It's a reputable, non-profit dermatology resource with guides for people with any kind of skin-related questions, and it was recommended to me by my Doctor.

And if you'd like confirmation that this can be effective treatment for BDD, see this video, a video brought to my attention by @Sora@feddit.ch (thank you Sora!) which is made by the BDD Foundation (you can see the community sidebar for details on this organisation but in short it's a very helpful BDD support charity). And here is a screenshot of the part of the video with the confirmation: !A table with the heading 'SOME DIFFERENCES IN APPROACH'. In the second row down and third row across 'Can be helpful e.g. concealer for scars' is circled

Thanks for reading, and I hope this might be of use to someone :)

Hey! This is a weekly check in to see how your day is.

So how was your day?

Normally I go first to say a bit about my day but I'm having a bad time with bdd lately so I don't feel like it sorry.

Sorry this one is a little late, had a busy Sunday. To anyone new here this is a weekly check in asking how your day is to help keep up engagement on the community!

So how was your day!? Anything nice happen?

I'll start:

I had a fun day today; I went go-karting which I've never done before. I was a little worried that the sweat from wearing the helmet would ruin my makeup but during the break I looked in the mirror and I still looked great which was really nice and comforting to see (the focus of my BDD is a specific skin problem on my face). Now I will probably relax for the rest of the day and wind down while drinking tomato juice and eating cereal (it's a weird combination I know but I have a weird food taste haha).

I hope everyone else had/is having a nice day :)

Like it's so stupid but I literally can't wear the colour red because I think it makes my face look hideous lmao. Like even if I'm wearing red socks my brain's like NOPE GET RID OF THEM.

So annoying lol

Hey again! Hopefully whoever is reading this has had a nice day :). If you haven't seen the first post this is a weekly check in asking you how your day has been. I made it to kickstart engagement in the community (hopefully haha 🤞) and also to prompt anyone erring on opening up to do so!

So, how was your day? Anything cool happen?

I'll start:

Today was a very chill day. I did keep avoiding the mirror kind of and also thinking about my problematic body part today though. Feel like I'm wavering a bit at the moment bc I sort of want to do certain stuff soon. Sorry that's such an enigma lol. I distracted myself playing this video game today tho, which I find myself doing more now I'm feeling a bit better again. My BDD uses to be so bad it was so hard to actually enjoy anything before, especially if it involves active concentration. And I've also been able to read lately now too! So yeah btw if you like strategy video games with a great story look into Wargroove, I quite like it so far! Hope everyone's doing ok :)

So I've never used any BDD self-help materials before because I just couldn't face it, but I've been feeling a bit better recently so I looked into it and found something.

It's a workbook called Building Body Acceptance and it's written by the CCI of Australia. And I'm really liking it so far! I've only read some of the first module and answered some of the questions on it, but it has my interest piqued and it also helped me take control of an obsessive episode I was going through.

So I just wanted to see if anyone here knew of any BDD self-help materials they've used that they'd like to share with this community.

Thank you :)

EDIT: Embedded a link to the workbook I was reading to make it easier for anyone interested to find

Hi! Thought I'd start a weekly post asking people how their day has been to kickstart engagement for this community and hopefully boost it in the long term too.

So how has your day been? Anything you've struggled with or anything you're proud of?

I'll start:

I struggled with some irrational thoughts regarding a specific part of my appearance today, so that was hard but it got better towards the end of the day (and right now!). I've quelled the anxiety that it caused by thinking about getting CBT therapy if the irrational thoughts continue. Oh and I made this community today so otherwise I guess it's been a pretty nice day :)