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Navigating Life With Borderline Personality Disorder

Updated: Apr 30, 2023

You don’t have to face this alone. Whether you’re recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) or have been living with it for years, there are steps you can take to understand the condition and make changes in your life that bring more balance and peace.

It’s natural to feel overwhelmed by BPD—its wide-ranging symptoms, its nuances, its potential consequences. It can be difficult to process, even when you—or a loved one—are living with it every day.

There are many layers involved in managing BPD. From diagnosis to treatment and beyond, this article will guide you through navigating life with BPD. We'll cover recognizing signs of BPD, finding a treatment plan that works for you, and creating a support system of peers and professionals who understand your specific needs.


What Is Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders, and affects an estimated 1.6% of adults in the U.S. alone. It is characterized by a pattern of ongoing difficulty regulating emotions, often as a result of intense feelings of emptiness and fear of abandonment. This can cause a lot of distress, and can make it difficult to interact with those around you or to keep stable relationships.


BPD is much more than just passing moodiness: People with BPD may have trouble controlling their emotions and their behavior, leading to sudden feelings of anger or irritability and impulsive choices that they later regret. People struggling with this disorder may also experience intense episodes of depression or anxiety, changes in self-image or identity, suicidal thoughts or self-harm behaviors, extreme reactions to perceived rejection or abandonment, and difficulties in forming relationships.


However, it's important to note that BPD is treatable—with professional help and support from family members and friends, many people living with the disorder learn the tools needed to manage their symptoms so they can have healthier relationships and lead a more balanced life.


Understanding the Symptoms of BPD

If you're living with borderline personality disorder, you're likely familiar with the symptoms—but it may be helpful to better understand what they are and how they manifest. The symptoms of BPD can be broken down into four categories:

  • Emotional instability: This includes intense emotions, rapid mood swings, difficulty controlling anger, and other forms of emotional dysregulation.

  • Disturbed patterns of thinking: This includes distorted self-image, mistrust of others, difficulties with impulse control, and black-and-white thinking.

  • Impulsive behavior: This could include excessive spending, reckless driving, binge eating/drinking, risky sexual activity and self-harming.

  • Intense but unstable relationships: People with BPD tend to have difficulty maintaining stable relationships due to impulsivity and difficulty regulating their emotions.

It's important to remember that these symptoms can vary greatly from person to person and do not always look the same in different individuals. But understanding them can be key to better navigating life with BPD.

Treatment Options and Resources for BPD

So, what kind of treatments and resources are available to help with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)? The most commonly used treatment approaches are Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). DBT focuses on helping the patient learn to respond in healthy ways rather than engaging in impulsive behaviors, while CBT helps the patient recognize and change unhealthy thought patterns that lead to difficult emotions.


Both therapies emphasize the importance of self-care, including recognizing and changing negative thought patterns, developing healthier coping mechanisms, learning distress tolerance skills, and increasing interpersonal effectiveness. Other treatments include psychotherapy groups, medication to treat symptoms of depression or anxiety related to BPD, family therapy, psychoeducation classes, and support groups.

Additionally, there are a variety of online resources available for those seeking help managing BPD symptoms. Some great resources include:

Challenges of Living With BPD

Living with BPD can be challenging, and it may feel like it's a major obstacle in your life. It's important to realize that although the disorder can be difficult to manage, there are techniques and strategies you can use to help you cope better.

Coping Strategies

There are many techniques you can use to help manage life with BPD, such as:

  1. Practicing self-care and mindfulness - This involves doing activities that make you feel relaxed and happy on a regular basis. These activities could include yoga, meditation, journaling, or simply taking some time for yourself.

  2. Setting boundaries - When managing BPD, it's important to have clear boundaries. This helps you to stay in control of your emotions and the environment around you by understanding the limits of what is acceptable in your relationships with others.

  3. Learning healthy ways of expressing emotions - It's important to learn how to express your emotions without engaging in destructive behaviors—things like yelling or hitting objects when angry or avoiding difficult conversations altogether when feeling overwhelmed or upset by them.

  4. Seeking Professional Help - Meeting regularly with a therapist or psychologist is beneficial for those living with BPD, as it gives them the opportunity to discuss their feelings in an environment that’s non-judgmental and safe—allowing them to gain insight into their behavior and learn useful coping strategies from an expert.

By utilizing these strategies, you will be able to take control of your life despite having BPD and navigating through the challenges it presents.

Adjusting to a Mindful Lifestyle With BPD

Living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be challenging, but there are ways to ease the burden. Making mindfulness a part of your daily routine is one way to cope with the challenges of BPD. This practice helps you stay in tune with the present moment, recognize your feelings and behaviors, and avoid getting overwhelmed.


Meditating

Meditation can help you identify your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Taking time out of your day to sit quietly and practice some deep breathing has been known to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress—which are all common issues when living with BPD.


Journaling

Regularly writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you gain a better understanding of yourself and the way you relate to other people. Besides just recording events or emotions, try to reflect on how certain thoughts make you feel. This exercise is especially helpful for recognizing triggers that may cause a relapse into anxiety or other difficult emotions.

Exercising

Physical activity helps relieve tension from the body while improving overall wellbeing by releasing endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers). Even if it’s just for a few minutes a day, regular exercise such as walking or running can help ease symptoms and make life easier when living with BPD. By keeping active, you can also improve your energy levels and reduce levels of stress associated with emotions like anger or impulsiveness.

Making mindfulness part of your daily routine doesn't have to be overwhelming—it just takes dedication and practice! With time and effort, you'll learn how to manage your emotions more effectively while living with BPD.


Managing Crisis Situations Related to BPD

Having a plan in place is key to managing crisis situations related to BPD. You should start by properly educating yourself on the disorder and its treatment options, so that you can recognize when symptoms become more severe.

When an emergency situation arises, it's important to know who to reach out to in order to get the help that you need. You should also have an emergency plan in place that outlines what you should do and who you can contact when a crisis occurs.

Developing Your Emergency Plan

Developing an emergency plan for when symptoms become too intense is a great way to stay prepared for any potential crisis situations related to BPD. In your plan, include:

  1. Strategies for calming down and managing impulses

  2. A list of your trusted friends and family members who will support you during a crisis

  3. Copies of therapy session notes and contact information for your therapist or other mental health professionals

  4. A list of coping strategies tailored specifically for dealing with stressors associated with having BPD

  5. The contact information of any designated emergency services that can help in case of an acute episode

  6. Any self-care activities or creative outlets (e.g., writing, yoga, etc.) that have been successful in helping you cope with emotions triggered by the disorder

  7. A reminder to seek medical attention if necessary

Conclusion

Although a BPD diagnosis can feel daunting, it’s important to remember that it’s possible to manage the disorder with the right treatment and support. Despite the challenges, it is possible for those living with BPD to lead a healthy and productive life.

By developing an understanding of the disorder and taking the steps to get the help you need, such as seeking out a mental health professional and building a supportive network, it is possible to take control of your journey and manage BPD. With the right resources, it is possible to create a more fulfilling, healthier life.

 
 
 

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