What is it like to live with BPD? What can a person who suffers from borderline personality disorder experience? Discover some keys to understand this disorder.
He BPD or borderline personality disorder It is a psychological disorder that involves negative, inflexible and unstable patterns of thinking and behavior that make it difficult for people to live a normal or satisfactory life. When a person suffers from this disorder, they tend to be dealing with problems, relating to other people, controlling extreme emotions such as anger and depression, as well as the fear of being abandoned by others.
On the other hand, people with BPD may feel difficulty finding meaning in themselves, which can lead to them feeling lost in their life, experiencing difficulties in their closest relationships, as well as in other aspects of their life. Taking all this into account, a BPD can lead a normal life?
What is it like to live with BPD?
The first challenge of living with borderline personality disorder or BPD is that people who suffer from it are usually not aware that there is a difficulty or problem in the way they think or behave. In fact, this is one of the main difficulties faced by people who suffer from a personality disorder. In the case of BPD, people who suffer from it tend to blame other people for their difficulties or negative thoughts. In many cases, BPD sufferers tend to experience the following:
- Feelings that change rapidly: People with BPD tend to experience very changeable feelings. For example, they go from feeling passion to disgust, always without understanding why.
- intense relationships: BPD tend to connect very intensely with others. But, in many cases, this intensity can end up being short-lived.
- They feel empty: BPD can also be related to a feeling of emptiness, that is, as if they live a life without a fixed direction or without knowing who they really are.
- Constant fear: One of the main symptoms of BPD is fear of abandonment. This implies that people feel afraid that those around them will leave them. This may cause them to behave or do desperate things to try to get these people not to abandon them.
- Overreactions: In many cases, BPD involves feeling very intense emotions, which can cause people to think or believe that they are overreacting to small things.
- Emotions that are difficult to control: These people experience great difficulty calming down after extreme fear, anxiety, or anger. Additionally, emotions can change extremely and quickly, making these people feel like they are living on an emotional roller coaster.
- Distrust: People with BPD tend to feel very distrustful of those around them, as they believe that others are conspiring to harm or cause harm to them.
These are some of the sensations or thoughts that people with borderline personality disorder may have. Still, with help and treatment, People with BPD can lead normal lives and build meaningful and healthy relationships with others.
How can a BPD lead a “normal” life?
In addition to going to therapy with a mental health professional, as well as accepting support from others, there are some tips that can help people. people with BPD to control the symptoms of this disorder:
- Join a support group: Joining a support group can help people with BPD better recognize thoughts or emotions that may be related to the disorder.
- Learn calming strategies: In many cases, one of the problems of people who live with BPD is precisely that they suffer from changing and extreme emotions. Therefore, in these cases, it can be very useful to learn different strategies to calm both the mind and the body. Some of them may be practicing mindfulness, meditation, or focusing on our physical senses to keep us grounded.
- Work on your relationships: One of the main difficulties of people with BPD is precisely maintaining healthy relationships. Therefore, it is important that if you suffer from BPD you try to focus on building and working to maintain your relationships. This may involve learning not to assume the worst, understanding that people won’t abandon you, and communicating better with others.
- Focus on your health: Exercising, as well as having a good diet and focusing on your self-care, can be a good way to maintain emotional and psychological balance.
As we see, living with BPD It can be a challenge both for the people who suffer from it and for those around them. Even so, with effort and work with a psychologist, people can end up controlling their symptoms and feeling connected both with themselves and with others.