Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) - How To Take Care Of Yourself?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a type of personality disorder characterized by an ongoing pattern of varying moods, self-image and behaviour. This often results in impulsive actions and problems in relationships and at work. You may experience intense episodes of various emotions like anger, depression and anxiety that may last for a few hours to a few days.

Diagnosis of BPD
If you experience the following 10 symptoms for a long time or if they have had a huge impact on your daily life, you may say that you are suffering from BPD:

1. Feeling of being abandoned. You feel that people may abandon you and are constantly worried about that. You would do anything to stop it.
2. Frequent mood swings. You experience intense emotions that last from a few hours to a few days. E.g. You suddenly start feeling low and depressed after feeling very happy and confident for a while.
3. Lack of identity. You don’t know who you are and do not have a strong sense of your being.
4. Unable to sustain relationships. You find it very hard to retain relationships and make new ones.
5. You feel empty from within all the time.
6. Make impulsive decisions and show sudden reactions. You do things to harm yourself like binge eating, drug abuse or driving dangerously.
7. You inflict pain on yourself or have suicidal feelings.
8. You have anger issues which are very difficult to control.
9. You get paranoid or dissociate when you’re stressed.
10. You experience all your emotions very intensely be it anger, happiness or sadness.

Self-Care - How can you help yourself?
If you start feeling overwhelmed, focus on one feeling at a time. It will help channelize your energy and thoughts into finding a solution for that emotion. Different therapies help different people at different times. You are the best judge to decide what benefits you the most.

Follow these tips to get through the various emotions that you may experience.

1. When you are angry and frustrated
   1. Rip a newspaper
   2. Hit a pillow
   3. Listen to your favourite music
   4. Go for a walk or do some vigorous exercise
2. When you are depressed and lonely
   1. Wrap yourself in a blanket and watch your favourite movie or TV show.
   2. Write all the negative feelings on a piece of paper and tear the paper.
   3. Use positive affirmations to comfort yourself.
   4. Cuddle a pillow/pet/soft toy
3. When you are tensed and anxious 
   1. Try to shift your focus to something else like music, yoga or meditation.
   2. Take a deep breath, use relaxation techniques and focus on your breaths.
   3. Take a warm bath to help soothe your mood.
4. When you want to harm yourself
   1. Rub ice over the parts where you want to hurt yourself.
   2. Take a cold-water bath to cool yourself.