We all want to be beautiful, but what many of us do is ruin our chances to look good in the mirror. We eat poorly, we don’t exercise enough and we stress ourselves all the time. These scenarios actually are the easiest ones. There are also several psychological conditions that have a much more negative effect on the way we look as a consequence, so we all should be aware of them.
Depression, eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are just a few names to mention here. They affect people’s beauty for different reasons, but their effect is usually the same: making people ignore their body’s needs and to stop enjoying the way they perceive themselves.
1. Eating disorders
Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating can damage our appearance. While anorexia leads people to avoid eating so to stay as thin as possible, bulimia allows them to eat whatever they want as long as they find a way to get rid of it after, such as by vomiting or using laxatives.
Binge eating disorder involves eating all the time, even when you aren’t hungry—in fact, the short timeframe between meals won’t even let people realize if they are hungry or not.
The unbalanced intake of food caused by these three eating disorders is very likely to leave the person without the nutrients that are necessary to their body functions, never mind those that will reflect their beauty.
2. Body dysmorphic disorder
People with body dysmorphic disorder constantly think about their body image and not in a good way. They always see themselves as ugly and unattractive. If someone pays them a compliment, they think that the person is just trying to be nice because they feel sorry for them—or that they are just lying.
They might go through several plastic surgeries in their search for happiness and perfection. However, nothing seems to help them as their self-perceptions can’t be changed through this kind of medical intervention, and they end up looking very unnatural.
They also will often try every single product available, even those that haven’t been properly tested yet, and end up doing more damage than good to their appearance.
3. Obsessive-compulsive disorder
There are many kinds of obsessive-compulsive disorders, and the conditions mentioned above can be listed among them. However, the focus here is to talk about those that create the need for repetition or excessive cleanliness and perfection as their ultimate goal as you can imagine how it can damage your beauty.
Even though it seems to make sense at first, perfection has nothing to do with beauty. You might have even heard about some models being ignored by the fashion industry for being too perfect because they are closer to mannequins than real people. Attractiveness has more to do with empathy and that shine in your eyes than with your body measurements.
4. Depression
People suffering from depression tend to neglect their appearance. They don’t brush their teeth or hair, might not have a shower and tend to wear the same clothes for days.
The level of self-neglect can go as far as not eating at all or eating far too much, and it might get to the point where the person doesn’t have the energy required to fight depression anymore. Needless to say, these symptoms can have serious consequences on their beauty over even a short term.
The bright side
Depression, eating, body dysmorphic and obsessive-compulsive disorders can cause a great deal of damage to your beauty. The good news is that you can fight and overcome them if you get the right support. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family for help, and seek out professional medical assistance.
Have you been through any of the conditions above or do you know someone who has? How did they affect the way you/they looked? Share your thoughts and tips on how to overcome those challenges and take charge of your beauty again.
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