Raising Awareness of BPD - Flipping the Script

[BPDSurvivor]

Hi @BabyBear ,

I'm going okay. I'm going okay-ish. Keeping my head above water but staying afloat with the help of taking MH days off work which is great. I think I have over 800 hours of leave, so it'll be okay. I'll go on long service leave at some point.

In terms of my BPD life, it's travelling pretty okay. I think i surprise myself with how well I manage stressors now as opposed to my acute BPD days. I really can't complain. Things are going pretty well in the light of BPD.

What about yourself? Have you started the clinic stuff yet?

[BabyBear]

@BPDSurvivor, 

I am pleased to hear you are doing ok. I am happy to know that you are handling the non-acute stages of BPD well.

My program starts in mid-September.

Annoyingly I am enduring an episode of bipolar one depression - it sucks big time.

[BPDSurvivor]

morning @BabyBear ,

 sorry to hear about the BP episode. What’s happening for you? What’s a BP episode like? Is it the depressive and manic episodes?

do you live alone or do you have supports at home?

i hope to day gets better for you.

 I’m off to church soon but will catch ya laterz

[Fawkes]

I would like to shared my lived experienced of BPD. At 52 years and having recently experienced a 6 month transfusion dependent crisis I am still coming to terms with how my recent treatment will significantly affect my ability to seek treatment again. I will follow up and share my story once I re-read the posting rules and where best to post this 🙂

[PeppyPatti]

apologise @avant-garde Wife with BPD  @BPDSurvivor @tyme @Welcome rav3n!  

This might sound self involved.

 I was brought up in a very toxic environment with a step father who is properly diagnosed narcassistic

Mother borderline plus narcassistic.

Both negative people.

My step father tried hard to help me but gave up.

There was only aggression. Absolutely no empathy. For instance - My brother's were too damaged to even call me for over 15 years and offer love when my youngest son had cancer for over 15 years. 

A diagnosis of bpd is fine. It was just my particular Mother with her upbringing, with her particular personality that made it so bad. However many many individuals have had it much worse than mine.

Bpd is about 

 Empathetic. Here's where the empathy comes from: feeling deeply. ...

Perceptive. Equipped with heightened intuition and sensitivity, subtle nuances and emotions are easily picked up on – leading to unique insights and perspectives. ...

Passionate. ...

Creative. ...

Resilient.

In all this - there is another thread 

@tyme who's chooses to work on herself 

@tyme who studies 

@tyme who embraces with love 

@tyme who knows herself 

@tyme who embraces vulnerable people and who is upfront. 

Compare - my mum 

 Mum my mum who pushed me out of home many nights because her emotions weren't contained

Mum who doesn't know herself 

Mum who is a professional victim 

Mum who is still aggressive and purposely triangulates her children and enjoys disharmony 

Mum who was told I might die from the head injury and tried for it to happen.

Mum who can only see black and white and lies to tear good people up. 

A diagnosis is a diagnosis. But you can use it for good or bad. 

I chose to enter therapy because i didn't want to be a mother who would turn out like my mum. 

 @tyme uses her diagnosis for good not to pull out the bad stuff.

My mum who is unaware bodily can only self reflect. 

She doesn't care if I practically starved because of being a sole parent when my kids were young. 

@tyme @who works hard in her role as a sane moderator. I see how @tyme   treats all us regulars with caring and loving notes about all of us individually so we stay cared f

My Mum who researches my step mother who 52 years ago had an affair with my dad and cared and loved him and mum still researches her to spread bad stories about her. 

Sorry I'm no good at writing differences in people with bpd @avant-garde  but do you get the drift? 

[tyme]

Thanks @PeppyPatti  🙂 

Hugs. Thank you for the post above. It means a lot to me and makes so much sense!

[tyme]

Hey @bl25 ,

Welcome to our BPD space here 🙂

It'll be great to get your insights and share experiences with other members @PeppyPatti @Fawkes @BPDSurvivor @BabyBear @SkiptheDog 

@bl25 , you shared your BPD superpower in another thread:

You're right at my best I've described it as my super power because of how I'm able to connect with people differently and understand them deeply without having to be in their shoes. My friend always says how deeply empathetic i am and I'm good at bringing poeple together. I hadn't thought about that in a while and one of the best ways i manage my bpd is through positive self talk.

I totally agree with you. I feel I love helping people and love working with them. And yes, I engage in A LOT of positive self talk. I feel that they more you practice positive self talk, the more it 'grows' the part of the brain that helps in this area.

[PeppyPatti]

It's over and over again a bright fairy spark to how person's can get support past COVID. 

To us over 55 yr Olds it makes me feel that all this support and this website is built on our older people's stories ..... 

[tyme]

@PeppyPatti , let's just say we value your experiences 🙂 Honestly. So powerful, rich and something to learn from.

[PeppyPatti]

Wow, thanks @tyme 

Ide say learning something from my ex husband which is positive affirmations have been one of the best experiences.  .....today I went to the bank with him to complain about these scammers frauding him out of his money his  livelihood. sending him to hospital for 2 months has been a highlight of my day today. 

We went in and lined up. People were surreptitiously  pushing behind us ......... how rude. 

A clearly unwell man at 57 years old. 

We were left to stand  inside in front of bank at a desk while I was explaining while we were there. How rude. 

The woman was speaking to us  I said ' I just want to be treated with good service,'  

So we are standing there whilst the bank people were all whispering discussing his case. 

Jeepers, how rude. I am very kindly saying. ' look he came into the branch, clearly unwell and asked if he had any money to take out. You allowed him to take $700 out of his account and then he discovers you allowed him to draw on An overdraft. 

They agreed and continued to whisper whisper. 

Grrrrrrrr. 

Poor man.