How toThat body is not mine: vigorexia or when physical exercise and correct nutrition stop being healthy

A mental health professional will help in the treatment of Vitoria, with different therapies, in which we can identify thought patterns and modify the way our brain responds. We are the ones who see our body in one way or another, so we will have to be ourselves, with the help of the professional, the ones who change that negative way of looking at ourselves. It shares some similarities with some eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa. The high exposure to perfect bodies (or at least they seem so) on social networks is the main cause of never being satisfied with our physique. What is Vitoria, or body dysmorphic disorder? The DSM-5 Criteria Consultation Guide prepared by the American Psychiatric Association includes the different disorders that exist such as bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and anxiety disorders, among many others. They define anorexia as a body dysmorphic disorder that triggers a concern because our body does not have enough muscle mass. We don't like our muscular appearance, and we become obsessed with changing it. This disorder influences our lifestyle since most of the time we will be thinking about training and nutrition that help us increase that muscle mass, whether we really have little or a lot. That is why the medical community is debating when it comes to classifying anorexia as a body dysmorphic disorder or also adding it to eating disorders or addiction. How anorexia shows itself Going to the gym every day is not a symptom of this body dysmorphia, but feeling bad for not going one day, or spending hours and hours in it, is. Training to increase muscle mass requires stimulating our muscles a couple of times a week with a certain volume. Exceeding that capacity our body has will mean more inconveniences than benefits. Diet is another factor that greatly affects a person with anorexia. Controlling what we eat is not bad, as long as it is flexible and allows us to go out with a partner, friends, or family for a drink without feeling guilty about it. Training and diet lead to the third and most worrisome symptom: hating the body we live in and always looking bad in it, no matter what it looks like. Bodybuilding is one of the scenarios where this muscle dysmorphia is most frequently shown. People with a large muscle mass, but who see themselves as "very small". One of the ways that anorexia shows itself is with the "mirror check." We look in the mirror whenever we can to check our body condition, always seeing ourselves in a state that could be improved. This behavior can be aggravated by different causes that we will discuss below. Anorexia aggravations Little by little, anorexia can lead us into a complex mental disorder that could end with serious consequences. The increase in muscle mass has a physiological ceiling, from which it becomes very difficult to hypertrophy our muscles. At that point, the appearance of steroids can come into play to get more muscle mass. If we continue to see ourselves with little muscle mass, the consumption of steroids can become abusive, with the effect on health that this entails. Depression can also appear when we feel bad about our bodies, to the point of not wanting to make plans. A severe depression, together with other factors of this disorder, can even lead to thoughts of suicide. Factors that increase the risk of developing anorexia There are some life experiences and psychological factors that can increase the probability of developing anorexia. One of the most notable is having been bullied during childhood by our body or for any reason. Improving our body to avoid those taunts, or making it bigger so that no one messes with us, can be a reaction to this event. This makes adolescents one of the main populations to take into account in anorexia, since a study with young people in the United States showed that 22% had symptoms of this disorder. The mental condition will also play a vital role in the occurrence of this body dysmorphic disorder. Also, if our sport requires weight control such as combat sports where we have to give a certain weight it can increase the probability of anorexia. The population most exposed to this bodily disorder are bodybuilders, who compete with their body and expose it to some judges so that they can assess them. This population depends on their body and that triggers the risk of becoming obsessed with training, diet, and the amount of muscle mass. Social networks are another factor that has caused anorexia to increase in the last decade. Before, we compared ourselves with the neighbors of our town or neighborhood, or with the groups that we had around us on the beach. Now we compare ourselves with everyone taking their mobile out of their pockets. So much so that new dysmorphia has appeared, such as Snapchat dysmorphia, with which people attend aesthetic centers to resemble their filters on this social network. What will happen when the generations that have been born with a smartphone under their arms reach a certain age? We are close to verifying it. Can anorexia be treated like any disorder, the first and recommended thing is to go to a professional of the mind and behavior to mark the steps to follow? If you have felt identified or identified, there are some things that you can already do at home, but always with the extra help of a mental health professional. Train a maximum of one hour a day several days of the week with rest days. Training is physical and mental health, which is why it should not be eliminated, but it should be closed to healthy times. In the event that you use steroids, the best option would be to eliminate them for your health in the medium and long term. Do you have a calorie tracker like on your mobile? Delete it and stop weighing and measuring everything for a while. Eat healthy and in approximate amounts to what you need, but counting calories will not help you if you have anorexia. If this disorder is not present, counting calories will always help us in our goal, but if there is any hint of obsession, it may be interesting to avoid its use. Anorexia shares symptoms with addiction, so it can be treated as such. Just as an alcoholic goes to an AA group to treat their addiction, a person with anorexia will benefit from surrounding themselves with other people with body dysmorphia. It is estimated that one in 50 people have some type of alteration of this type. You can occupy the time that exceeds the healthy ones in the gym by going outdoors to practice another sport discipline. Meditation can also be included in your daily routines to treat this disorder, to which a journal of notes can be added to express how you feel each day and see the progression. Eliminate triggers that lead to thoughts related to anorexia. The clearest example is to stop watching videos of bodybuilding, CrossFit, or disciplines where everything revolves around muscular bodies. A mental health professional will help in the treatment of anorexia with different therapies, in which we can identify thought patterns and modify the way our brain responds. We are the ones who see our body in one way or another, so we will have to be ourselves, with the help of the professional, the ones who change that negative way of looking at ourselves.