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Overcoming Body Dysmorphic Disorder - My Story of Living With BDD

"It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see."
~ Henry David Thoreau

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This is the Story of My Life Living With Body Dysmorphic Disorder

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Gratitude Journal – Day 1

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I have decided to start a gratitude journal, and to make sure I do this I figured I would do it here on this site.

They recommend 5 gratitudes, but today I have a few more.

I just had to have a cancerous lesion removed from my nose. So I have been sulking. After last years, facial laceration I could hardly cope. Now having this deep dime like scar on my nose has been devastating.

But I am reading a short “blink” on a service I love called “blinkist”.

This blink is about positivity. And one of the first recommendations was a gratitude journal, so here goes, this is day 1.

What I am grateful for:

  1. I am grateful for my children and my wife, their health, their vitality their spirit of love and generosity.
  2. I am grateful for long runs in the woods, that are alone and quite and full of fresh air and good smelling tress.
  3. I am grateful that we have found a renter for our house for our next years adventure.
  4. I am grateful for readers who read my work, and share it with others.
  5. I am grateful to have the functions I do have. Like the ability to walk and talk. I am not in a wheelchair. Yes I have some facial scars but not everyone has deserted me.
  6. I am grateful for my sister and my mom and my dad, who love me so much.
  7. I am grateful for hot coffee in the mornings.
  8. I am grateful for sexy kisses from my wife in the morning who is still with me despite my facial flaws.
  9. I am grateful to have financial success and a great job.
  10. I am grateful to be able to wake up and have the possibility to make the world a better place.
  11. I am grateful to be on my to finishing a book that will hopefully help support us throughout next year.

Books Worth Reading

Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder

This is a wonderful book written by Brian Cuban – The brother of famed billionaire and tech mogul Mark Cuban from The Shark Tank. It is great to finally hear a man’s voice in this space. The book is honest, timely, and gives practical advice that we can all use to overcome BDD. The book is also available in the Kindle Lending library which is how I found it. This is a must-read.
The Broken Mirror: Understanding and Treating Body Dysmorphic Disorder

A fantastic, concise, and essential book to understand the diagnosis and treatment of Body Dysmorphic Disorder. It is a fairly short and easy read, that is full of top-notch information! Material is complete and presented in an organized and useful way. The understanding enabled for both client and therapist is one of the main traits of this book. And the author is obviously committed to the betterment/healing of her clients.
Feeling Good about the Way You Look A Program for Overcoming Body Image Problems

This is a wonderful book!  Written by the Director of the MGH OCD and Related Disorders Program, and Founder of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Clinic, this book offers individuals suffering from Body Dysmorphic Disorder with critical tools to understand BDD and to bring their disorder under control. The step by step approach detailed in the book is exactly what is needed for patients and clinicians alike. I have enthusiastically been recommending it to all of my clients who have BDD, and to colleagues interested in learning more about it. This book offers new hope to the millions of people worldwide who live with this troubling, but treatable disorder.
The BDD Workbook: Overcome Body Dysmorphic Disorder and End Body Image Obsessions

This workbook really delves into the thought processes of a person who suffers from this exhausting illness. The worksheets and exercises really cause you to challenge the beliefs which have been ingrained in your memory for decades. I would highly recommend this workbook for anyone who is self-directed and able to work through the exercises on their own.

About Stephen

My name is Stephen and I was officially diagnosed with BDD in October of 2012. I have lived with it my whole life. This blog is my story, my shame, and my path to recovery. It starts on Day 1 of my new life. To live, and love myself, to teach others how to do the same, and learn more about what it means to live with body dysmorphic disorder. Here are some resources that I use...