What is productive dysmorphia and how does your work affect?

The perception of reality can be altered in different ways and can end up affecting our mental health in a serious way. Such is the case of productive dysmorphia, a dysfunction in which modifies the way we perceive work what do we do. In the long term, this problem can cause serious complications at work and health. For that reason, in this article, you will know what productive dysmorphia is and how your work affects.

It is important to know that this alteration tends to go unnoticed by those who suffer from it. In addition, people in the work environment can believe that their behavior only demonstrates labor commitment. Because of this, it is essential to have information to recognize when the desire to be productive becomes a problem.

Content

• What is productive dysmorphia?
• Symptoms of productive dysmorphia
• What can I do if I think I have productive dysmorphia?
  • 1. Reflect on your perception of productivity
  • 2. Create a task list or work plan
  • 3. Learn to accept compliments and criticism
  • 4. Consider psychological care
  • References

What is productive dysmorphia?

The term "dysmorphia" comes from Greek and could be translated as "abnormality in the form or structure". It is often used to talk about body dysmorphia (DC), a psychological disorder that alters the perception of the body itself. For example, someone could perceive their nose as "too big" when it really has a normal size. Or might feel that he has a huge abdomen, even if others tell him that he is thin.

According to a study by Vashi (2016), body dysmorphia affects between 0.7% and 2.4% of the world population. In addition, it is known that body dysmorphia can be linked to any aspect of the body. For example, an investigation pointed out that patients undergoing aesthetic dentistry processes have higher DC indices (Rodríguez, 2019).

In this sense, journalist Anna Codrea-Drado described in a 2021 article a new type of dysmorphia she called Productive dysmorphia. To define what is productive dysmorphia, the author consulted with various mental health experts.

In simple terms, it is a alteration in the perception of one's productivity or work. Who presents it, See your work as imperfect and insufficient Although it has evidence of the opposite.

Symptoms of productive dysmorphia

As we mentioned at the beginning, this type of dysmorphia can go unnoticed easily. He who presents it, may think that examining his work again and again and punishing for small mistakes helps him "improve". Similarly, their bosses and colleagues might think that their attitude towards work only demonstrates commitment and proactivity.

But, in reality, when we study what productive dysmorphia is, it is easy to realize that it is a problem. Who has it will never feel happy with what he does and that can lead to frustration, stress and burn out syndrome. Therefore, it is important to be attentive to the following symptoms:

• Anxiety.
• Fatigue.
• Constant thinking of not being "enough" at work.
• Difficulty recognizing achievements at work and successes.
• Exaggeration of errors.

As expected, these symptoms end up harming the quality of the work done by a person. While at the beginning it can function as a way to achieve good results, in the long term it generates anxiety and exhaustion. This way, You can end up incapacitating the worker, damage his mental health and the progress of his career.

What can I do if I think I have productive dysmorphia?

It is necessary to emphasize that productive dysmorphia is not a mental condition recognized by an institution or manual. Although, more and more professionals begin to use the term to describe the conflicts that their patients present. However, more studies are needed to determine their clinical relevance and other aspects of the table.

1. Reflect on your perception of productivity

Now that you know what productive dysmorphia is, it is time to rethink yourself, you consider it as "productive". Is it about using your time and resources efficiently? Or rather do you relate it to spend most of your time in the office working until fatigue?

It is important that we maintain a good balance between working life and personal life. If work occupies all the time we have, fatigue and stress will soon appear. In addition, you can take you to build an unrealistic ideal of what productivity means.

2. Create a task list or work plan

In view of the fact that productive dysmorphia generates a distortion in how the work is perceived, It is essential to counteract it. This can be achieved with a list of tasks or work plan where you have the objectives visibly. In this way, you can have reliable evidence that you are complying with the proposed goals.

3. Learn to accept compliments and criticism

If your boss or co -workers tell you that you do a good job, try to accept their compliments without questioning them. After all, why should they lie about it? What could they earn cheating on the quality of your work? If you analyze it, you will surely realize that they are irrational thoughts.

On the other hand, If someone makes a criticism, avoid considering it as a sign that your work is a failure. On the contrary, it begins to see it as an opportunity to see what you do from an objective perspective.

4. Consider psychological care

Knowing what is productive dysmorphia and the magnitude of the complications it can cause, you could opt for professional attention. Previous tips can be useful to regulate symptoms to a certain degree or even disappear in mild cases. But, only a specialist can determine how serious your situation is.

In addition, the most serious cases require deeper and more prolonged interventions. Consequently, the above recommendations can be insufficient and cause more frustration. Techniques derived from cognitive-behavioral therapy are useful for addressing problems of perception and emotions management.

Finally, it could be positive to make talks in your company regarding this problem with the help of an expert. In this way, more people could know what productive dysmorphia is and how health affects.

How to face failure

References

• Rodríguez, c. P., Judge, r. B., Castle, d., & Phillipou, A. (2019). Body Dysmorphia in Dentistry and Prosthodontics: A Practice Based Study. Journal of Dentistry, 81, 33-38.
• Vashi, n. TO. (2016). Obsession with Perfection: Body Dysmorphia. Clinics in Dermatology, 34(6), 788-791.