#6 Body dysmorphia My Mind & I

In episode 6, James talks to us about his experience having body dysmorphia and anxiety. Asked once by a friend in a pub, “How would you describe your relationship with food? he says, “Complicated.” He believes one of the reasons body dysmorphia sufferers go so long without getting support is because society teaches us that obsessing too much about a part of our body’s is vain. And that playground bullying really can lead to hangups on one end of the spectrum and body dysmorphia at the other.

"I used to have these really in depth fantasies about how I would lose the weight, and what I would do to be thin – not so much thin, but this body ideal I conjured in my mind."

"I still struggle with it, it's still a challenge, but it's a challenge you get so much better at dealing with."

"I’m constantly seeking validation because of having body issues and anxiety, yet never accept the validation I get which is why I’m always seeking it–only I see my body for the way it is."

"If I really want something I end up eating it, and that unchecked as a child is bad, it's bad news for poor young James, bless him."