Is Body Dysmorphia Impacting Your Sex Life?
Lots of people are uncomfortable with their bodies. We all have physical parts of ourselves that make us self-conscious, parts we wouldn’t necessarily want someone else to see up close.
But your image of yourself is not supposed to stop you from enjoying sex and romantic relationships. If you feel so uncomfortable with your body that you’re afraid of being intimate in any way, body dysmorphia, or Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) can be a play.
What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
Y’all, since feeling self-conscious about your body is so normalized in today’s society, it can be difficult to tell when your perception of your body is abnormally negative.
To be clear, BDD doesn’t just mean feeling uncomfortable about how you look naked. Instead, the disorder is characterized by an extreme preoccupation with a perceived flaw or defect in your appearance that makes you look ugly or deformed.
From another person’s perspective, this perceived flaw usually appears to be minor at best. Sometimes, other people can’t see your perceived flaw at all. But even though no one has pointed out your perceived flaw in recent memory, BDD makes you believe that other people are not only highly aware of your flaw but talking about it behind your back.
How BDD Affects Your Sex Life
BDD can affect your sex life in several ways. When you see yourself as unattractive, you don’t want to remove your clothes and bring your perceived flaw out in the open. For some people with BDD, they’re more worried about how they react to the sight of their own naked body rather than being preoccupied with how their partner’s reaction.
Also, when you’re already preoccupied with a perceived flaw, the idea of removing your clothes can only make you think about it even more, preventing you from relaxing and focusing on your partner.
Another common behavior in people with BDD is excessive grooming, often in an attempt to distract other people from their perceived flaw. Someone could spend quite an extended bit of time grooming themself in preparation for sexual activity, only to cause so much stress that it distracts them from the activity itself.
Overcoming BDD
Overcoming body dysmorphia isn’t easy, but people have done it and continue to do so. While everyone’s path is different, I can tell you that a major step in the right direction is recognizing that you may have a legitimate mental illness, as opposed to just being a particularly vain or critical person.
From here, you can work with a mental health professional to understand why your brain is making you feel this way, and what you can do to re-frame your self-perception.
It’s also important to communicate how your illness is affecting you with someone who understands what you’re going through. Thankfully, that’s what sex and intimacy therapy is for. If you need someone to talk to about BDD or your concerns for your sex life, please reach out and schedule a free 15-minute consultation at Blue Pearl Therapeutic today.
There are obstacles ahead, but you don’t have to conquer them alone.