A local man has been running shirtless in the recent freezing weather to conquer his body anxiety and raise awareness for the issue, known as dysmorphia.
Stephen Melling, who originally started running as a part of his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, has suffered from body dysmorphia nearly his whole life.
He told MerseyNewsLive: “When I was in school, somebody called me fat. I wasn’t a fat child but for some reason, as a kid I grabbed hold of that and took it into adult life. From the age of 17, going to the gym, I was always wanting to change my physique.”
Body dysmorphia, or body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), is a mental health condition where a person becomes obsessively focused on perceived flaws in their appearance, often minor or non-existent, leading to significant distress and impacting their daily life.
Stephen said: “The negative voice in my head is pecking at me to say ‘Everybody’s looking at you’.
“Even with my clothes on, I’d go out and I’d feel insecure in my body. It’s just constantly living in an uncomfortable state.”
BDD is most commonly associated with young women suffering from anorexia, an eating disorder where sufferers become fixated on keeping their weight as low as possible. It typically develops in adolescence but there is a growing number of men who are suffering in silence.
Stephen thinks this is due to unrealistic body standards depicted into today’s social media.
“People have got so many unrealistic expectations because of social media. The kids that are going the gym today, they just want abs. I don’t have abs and I’ve ran ultra marathons, over 2,000 miles last year,” he said.
The Mental Health Foundation found that 28% of UK men have felt anxious because of body image issues and 21% said concerns about body issues have caused them to dress in a way that hid parts of their body.
Stephen has advocated a self-reflective approach to the problem, encouraging others to look inward: “I feel like people need to start looking for some internal validation.
“Therapy, talking, starting meditation or a spiritual journey and connecting with yourself to be happy no matter what weight you are; is definitely what I would advise.”
Featured image (c) Stephen Melling
