Body dysmorphia

Now this is hopefully not a relatable topic for many. But for many like myself, this is a big struggle in daily life for people who go to the gym to see a difference. There is also not much to change it.

For those who do not know, body dysmorphia is basically like this picture above, you could be as big as Mr. Olympia and see yourself as something else completely. For many people, it is going to the gym to see yourself as a person who went from really skinny or really fat and become a mass monster, but not being able to see it for yourself. Personally, I was a skinny kid, and I went to the gym to gain mass, and I believe I have gained mass. But my mind will not let me see myself as that, there are days that all I see is that skinny kid.

If you can relate, here is how you can help change that. (These are measures I have taken myself that work for me, they might not work for everyone)

-Take pictures, although it might feel weird, keep a folder of photos of yourself and your physic that you take once a week, and do not look at them, wait until a year, two years, however long you want to and then after that time has gone, look at them and see your progress. But this is not a quick and easy method, but I have seen the most improvement using this.

-Measurements, measure your biceps, your legs, any muscle group you want to notice improvements on and keep track of all of the measurements in a log. This one I am a little hesitant on recommending. Mostly because a lot can change day to day. Your water retention, if you just worked out, how recently you worked out that muscle group. A lot of factors can skew your measurements on a day-to-day basis.

-Gain confidence, this one is a little easier said than done. You need to remind yourself basically every day that you are getting bigger, mass wise, because scientifically, you are since you are tearing muscle fibers and they are growing back bigger than before. But you need to make yourself believe that instead of maybe shaming yourself because you do not see it, just focus on the little things. Lifting is the one thing that is a guarantee that every day you lift you are scientifically improving because of breaking muscle fibers and how the repair themselves.

Do not feel alone with this, a lot of people also struggle with this.