porcelain @lemm.ee About me
Hi! My name is James, I'm 17. Most of what I talk about online revolves around Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
My Links
Little update on weekly check-ins
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 :)
If you're a guy and your BDD focuses on a skin problem, consider wearing makeup!
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 @[email protected] (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 :)
Yep! 40mph which feels fast bc you're really low the ground. Definitely recommend for a fun day out haha.
Yes it did I'm always scared about it fading throughout the day and it's been nice bc most of the time it doesn't happen, meaning I feel less anxious about it and also check the mirror less.
Thank you for saying that, I am feeling a bit better now ☺️.
Ooh that sounds good I think I might try listening to them.
Wow I find it so hard to mediate but I love mindfulness. It's been too hot lately but sitting outside staring into space feels super nice.
How long did you meditate for?
Weekly check in #4
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.
Woo! That's really nice to hear! You're really lucky haha I remember for me during my first week while my body was getting used to it I was feeling really nauseous and couldn't sleep lol.
Also like @[email protected] said I agree you should be careful as it is unusual to be feeling better that quickly. There are many reasons that could happen tho, the obvious one is placebo (but who cares really if you're feeling better); second one is that the desicion to go get antidepressants has had a positive benefit to your life and made you feel like you want to make even more progress, in turn increaseing your happiness; third one is mania (extreme euphoria) which is extremely unlikely, but a dangerous potential side effect of anti-depressants and you probably need to call an ambulance if this happens; and finally fourth one is that it really has just worked extra quickly for you, which is unlikely but not impossible!
So whatever the reason is I'm glad it's working out for you, just be mindful of your emotions but don't worry too much as you'll probably be able to tell if something is seriously wrong.
Good look for the future :)
Weekly check in #3!
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 :)
Tbh I'm not sure lol. Personally I've struggled with a lot of mental health issues since I was young so I'm finding it hard to say whether we should live life to its fullest or just accept the feeling of finally feeling ok. What do you consider meaningless btw?
That was really insightful tysm for replying. I feel like you've thought about this before haha.
Yeah I think you might be right, sometimes it feels like a day's been wasted because I didn't spend it exactly how I envision a good day, but there are different kinds of good. Every experience and feeling is unique and it's hard to say that one experience or feeling is objectively better than another.
Also I like your phrasing 'happy to live', it sounds like contendedness which I do believe is possible unlike permanent happiness. Have you heard of that infinite happiness machine thing btw?
Tbh I think if this genuinely happened and I just found out right now, I would just start walking and not stopping. I would think I'd be the most mindful and alert I have ever been in my life and I wouldn't want to waste that. I also imagine I would also probably be extremely nice to everyone. Like someone's walking in the rain or something and I'd just hand them the coat I was wearing for them to keep. It would look really weird lol but I think that's the kind of hyper-selflessness that you'd just do without even a thought if you knew you were about to die.
Thanks for asking this question btw it's very intriguing. It makes me wonder if it's even remotely possible to live each day like it's your last y'know.
Yes absolutely. I've had a quick look at the site and it seems credible, not to mention I think I've heard it recommended before so it sounds like a really good idea to me :) thank you for your input!
It's so weird how colours seem to matter so much. It's like lighting as well
Mhm, I don't know if this happens to you but everyone tells me that my worrisome body part looks completely normal and it makes me think that they must be right but at the same time, when i see it exposed I just look completely different and it's so confusing.
Also - assuming you want to wear one but feel you can't - I hope you feel amazing wearing a skirt one day
I'm so glad it's helped you ☺️. Do you think it would be beneficial or link it in the sidebar of the community?
Can anyone else not wear certain things because they think it makes them look 100x worse?
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
That's okay! I hope it might come in useful to you or someone else :).
And thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
Is there a website that offers similar kind of content as YouTube, except in a written format rather than a video one.
I'm someone who just much prefers reading to watching YouTube — I like being able to go at my pace.
So I was wondering if anyone here knows of any kind of website or app which has long form written content about interesting topics. Thank you! :)
Mhm, you might be right. But imo it's nice to hear about any kind of progress even if it might end up not working because at the end of the day it's one step closer to finding a cure and ofc that would be amazing.
Also sorry to hear you have Crohn's btw. I don't have it but ik someone who does and I know it's a real pain for eating :(.
"Our cancer-killing pill is like a snowstorm that closes a key airline hub, shutting down all flights in and out only in planes carrying cancer cells," says the professor who has been developing the new drug over the past 20 years.
Weekly check in #2!
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 :)
Does anyone know of any BDD self-help materials they would recommend?
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
Thank you so much it's nice of you to say that! And thank you for commenting! Hopefully we can make this community into an sympathetic, active and friendly place. I've never managed a community before so I'm very open to suggestions on how we can improve and grow the community so just to let you know if you have any thoughts please feel free to let me know!
Yay! That does sound like good progress I'm proud of you! It's so nice when you feel your therapist understands you right? I hope you continue to like them. And well done for getting things together I know how much effort that can take :) Glad you're on an upswing!
Weekly check in
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 :)
It absolutely is :). I'm just happy to think that this community may be able to help people who are suffering from this awful disorder. And thank you for thanking me!
Body Dysmorphic Disorder - A community to support people suffering from BDD
Hopefully this community will allow anyone on Lemmy with Body Dysmorphia to get some support if they'd like it.
Links:
EDIT: Accidentally typed the link without the underscore so they weren't working my bad haha, should be working now.
I agree with you! Imo it would be amazing if people would use the fediverse (i.e. mastodon) for their twitter experience but sadly for whatever reason it hasn't worked. A lot of people who went to mastodon went back to twitter (I think? I read that somehwere so not totally sure)
But yeah I read a BBC article today that quoted Zuckerberg on some of his goals for the platform. The keyword I remember is 'friendly'. And I liked how he talked about his vision for the platform in general.
Ofc Zuckerberg isn't a saint but imo he isn't anywhere near as bad as that loud mouthed prick Elon so if my favourite celebrities move there instead I'll be happy :)