I’ve been battling body dysmorphia for a long time. In a country where mental health isn’t really prioritized and mental illness is usually stigmatized, it’s  hard to be open about my experience. Body dysmorphia is a condition in which you keep obsessing about the flaws in your appearance. Things like crooked teeth, flat chest, wide waist and etc, can be a source of anxiety to people suffering this condition. Though it may seem minor to everyone else, to me it’s something very major. I often avoid gatherings or any situation that would expose the things that I find hideous.  I spend hours just thinking how bad it looks even though people around me keep reassuring that it looks fine. 
There’s a lot of factors that could cause this type of condition. I haven’t visited any professional help because it’s not really accessible to me, so I can’t really tell you that we have the same situation. For me, it started when I got obsessed with social media. Social media is a platform where anyone can post anything. Although very useful, social media could also be damaging, and I’ve experienced it first hand. Due to the wide reach of social media, people actually resort to editing photos that would improve their appearance. This is where my body image issues started, I would often compare myself to the photos I see. I would be disappointed if I don’t see any similarities from the photos posted and on my body. This is where I started having impossible body standards for myself. I fell for fad diets and many more trends just to change how I look. It started being so destructive that I developed ulcer. 
Now, through the help of my friends and myself , I know how to draw the line between what I see online and in reality.  We human are built different, we have different body types. Even if we all eat the same and exercise the same, we would still look different. We shouldn’t impose impossible body standards on ourselves because social media isn’t really what it seems. 
Although, there are times that I relapse and would go obsessing over my flaws, I try my best to rise over my thoughts. Our body works hard to keep us alive, and it should be enough for us. This is how I overcame my issues and I hope it can help you too.