A Survival Guide To Living With BPD

If you’re struggling under the weight of your Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) diagnosis, you’re not alone. For almost 2% of the American population, this mental health condition poses significant challenges. You may be overwhelmed by intense emotions, loneliness, hopelessness, anger, or even numbness. All of these feelings can make everyday life very challenging for those living with BPD. The good news? Thousands of people just like you have learned how to live rich and fulfilling lives, even while working through their BPD symptoms. 

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Here are some ways that you may see BPD symptoms affecting your daily reality: 

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- BPD Can Impact Your Physical Health 

One of the least discussed but most important side effects of BPD symptoms is the potential impact on your physical wellbeing. Many people living with BPD are also diagnosed with other conditions, including chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, obesity, diabetes, and other serious health problems. In part, this can be due to unhealthy coping mechanisms sought out by those struggling with BPD, such as heavy alcohol use, smoking, substance abuse, and a lack of physical exercise. BPD can make it very hard to stay on track, no matter how healthy you believe you want to be.

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- BPD Can Impact Your Work Life 

Trying to focus on school, work, hobbies, or other pursuits? BPD can unfortunately interfere with all the above. Because of its regular impact on interpersonal relationships, those living with BPD may feel they are constantly getting in trouble or in conflict with teachers, bosses, coworkers, the law, or really anyone in authority. Emotional instability and hospitalizations can complicate your work and school schedule, and BPD can even impact your ability to concentrate on critical tasks, projects, or deadlines. 

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- BPD Can Impact Your Relationships 

The intense emotional outbursts, mood swings and dramatic differences in day-to-day or even hourly feelings can put a significant strain on your relationships. This is actually one of the most well-known symptoms of BPD. Regular conflict, ongoing arguments, a state of constant tension, and difficulty getting along with or progressing through relationships with others may be part of life with BPD. 

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In summary, BPD is a very serious disorder that can cause significant complications in your daily life. If any of the above symptoms and side effects of BPD resonated with you, you may be feeling discouraged. The good news is that many people with BPD have discovered specific ways to cope with their symptoms. You don’t have to resign yourself to an unfulfilling life full of challenges - there are powerful treatment options available for BPD and specific ways you can get help to mitigate your symptoms and rediscover a sense of hope and purpose. 

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STEP 1: Get Mental Health Support

The most important first step you can take is to seek out a mental health professional who can guide you through the proper process for evaluating treatment options to see which choices make the most sense for you, your symptoms and goals. Grouport has online therapy groups for BPD available to you at an affordable rate from the comfort of your own home. TAKE THE FIRST STEP 

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STEP 2: Create A Safety Plan

Your therapist or medical health provider can help you develop a safety plan. Because BPD comes with intense emotions and often leads to mental health emergencies (such as suicidal ideations or destructive outbursts), it is critical to have the support of a counselor to develop a safety plan in case of crisis. 

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STEP 3: Pursue Self-Care

Developing a healthy lifestyle as much as possible can help reduce your emotional distress, increase endorphins for more positive feelings, and mitigate the intensity of your BPD symptoms. Doing your best to eat healthy, stay active, get consistent sleep, and practice good hygiene can significantly reduce the pain of living with BPD. Consider activities such as meditation, mindfulness exercises, and yoga as a way to bring awareness to your emotional state and to learn to calm yourself in the heat of a BPD episode. 

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STEP 4: Seek Out Support

Most individuals with BPD will discover their need for accountability, community, and support. Not everyone has the luxury of people in their lives who understand this disorder or how to handle it, but do your best to educate friends, family, and anyone you interact with on a regular basis about your condition, symptoms, and how to help. One great resource for those living with BPD is group therapy, which can bring added value to your mental health care by offering up the experience of others just like you to normalize your emotional struggles and offer hope for the future. 

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LEARN MORE ABOUT GROUP THERAPY FOR BPD

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