Appearance Anxiety

What causes appearance anxiety (or social appearance anxiety) and what are the treatments for this anxiety? I’ll discuss these questions further in the post.

There are so many anxieties, I can’t keep track of them all. How do the people who make up these names come up with each of these specific names? Half of these I’ve never heard of before until doing the research.

In spite of all my diagnoses, I’ve never have experienced this anxiety. I don’t care much about how I look. I figure don’t look at me if you don’t like my appearance. Part of that is flying from positive to negative (and back to positive) demeanor from the bipolar disorder. When I’m manic I care about how I look. When I’m depressed, I could care less. I don’t have a job, so I don’t have to dress for work.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” —Robert Louis Stevenso

Appearance Anxiety Definition

In general, appearance anxiety refers to a mental health condition wherein individuals have excessive and persistent worry, self-consciousness, and dissatisfaction related to their physical appearance. It can manifest in various ways, including being preoccupied with perceived physical flaws or imperfections, constantly seeking reassurance from others about their appearance, obsessively comparing oneself to others, and engaging in behaviors aimed at altering their appearance, such as extreme dieting, cosmetic surgery, or excessive use of makeup.

Appearance anxiety can have a significant impact on an individual’s well-being, as it can lead to social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and decreased overall quality of life.

Subsequently, I used to be a massage therapist and one day I massaged (or tried to) a skin and bone man. Literally, that’s all he was. I was nervous the whole massage. So, talk about extreme dieting. Surprisingly, he was still alive and moving around. I felt sorry for him because I don’t think he really realized how skinny he was.

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” —Albert Einstein

Appearance Anxiety Causes

Fear of being rejected. In other words, if you worry about not fitting in, or being rejected or lonely, you may develop thought patterns that can lead to appearance anxiety. For example, if you believe that you need to look a certain way to maintain friends or find a partner, you may develop obsessive worries about your appearance.

In reality, messages about body image that we get from films, magazines, social media and adverts can have a negative impact on our body image and self-esteem. They can give us unachievable ideas about how we should look and make us feel we’re not good enough. Apps and filters that improve the way we look online can also contribute to this.

Like many other mental health conditions, appearance anxiety may result from a combination of issues, such as a family history of the disorder, negative evaluations or experiences about your body or self-image, and abnormal brain function or abnormal levels of the brain chemical called serotonin.

“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” –-Aldous Huxley

Appearance Anxiety Inventory

The Appearance Anxiety Inventory (AAI) is a 10 question self-report scale that measures the cognitive and behavioural aspects of body image anxiety in general, and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in particular. This scale is useful in a cosmetic context as part of a screening procedure for BDD. The questionnaire is also sensitive to change through treatment, so is a useful way to track how your patients’ body image may change over a cosmetic treatment journey.

Two subscales were found using factor analysis; Avoidance and Threat Monitoring. The Avoidance scale assesses the degree to which an individual may be avoiding certain situations, or looking at themselves in photos/videos/mirrors because of how they are feeling about their appearance. The Threat Monitoring scale assesses the degree to which an individual may be engaging in attempts to check, fix or compare their appearance to others.

“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.” —Arthur Rubinstein

Social Appearance Anxiety Treatment

Here are some treatments for appearance anxiety:

 CBT for Appearance Anxiety

Basically, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on changing patterns of thinking or behavior to change an emotion. CBT treats various challenges, including anxiety, substance abuse, depression, and more. This problem-solving technique teaches the skills to overcome negative and destructive thinking patterns.

Therefore, in CBT, the idea is that it’s not the event that creates our emotions. It’s how we interpret the event or the meaning that we give it. It emphasizes the critical role that thoughts (cognitive) and actions (behavioral) play in creating and maintaining belief systems. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps to identify which factors are playing a role in maintaining a negative body image and then works to address each one by teaching the skills necessary to allow healing to occur.

 Social Skills Training (SST)

Basically, Social skills training (SST) is a type of behavioral therapy used to improve social skills in people with mental disorders or developmental disabilities. SST may be used by teachers, therapists, or other professionals to help those with anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, and other diagnoses.

SST generally begins with an assessment of your specific skill deficits and impairments. Your therapist may ask you which social interactions you find the most challenging or which skills you feel could be improved. The goal of this process is to identify the best targets for social skills training for your particular situation.

Once specific target areas are identified, techniques for improving social skills are introduced. Usually, changes are made in one area at a time to ensure you don’t get overwhelmed.

It’s no wonder that people may feel anxiety over what others think about their changed appearance.

What is body image?
Focus on what you appreciate about your body.
Engage with others who accept and appreciate all bodies.
Practice self-compassion.
Engage in mindful movement.
Practice self-care.
Engage with nature.

“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”―Roy T. Bennett

Conclusion

If you have a lot of anxiety over your appearance, you might have appearance anxiety. You are so worried about your physical appearance that it becomes your central focus which could develop into anxiety. Then, it might become an obsession if you don’t seek help. CBT and SST are a couple of therapies for treating this anxiety.

I hope you have ingested the facts in this post and know a little bit more about appearance anxiety. I’m sure I’ll come across an anxiety that I have never heard of before. Well, it’s that time. I bid you a farewell and keep fighting that anxiety. Until next time…