People with body dysmorphia may avoid social interactions because they fear others will judge the part of their body they dislike. "Body dysmorphia can interfere with how people live their life if they allow the dysmorphia to hold them back from activities they enjoy," Dr. Harris explained. Giving into these anxieties can only further fuel your fear.
What Can Help
While you may feel like you want to avoid others, it's important that you push yourself. "Don't skip on dinner with your family because you're worrying about your weight. Go out with your friends. Do things that help you engage in your life, even when you don't feel like it," Dr. Harris said. "Most people think that they need to wait for motivation to strike in order to do pleasant activities in their life, but that simply isn't true — more often the opposite is true, that we need to engage in the activity first."