[Special Guest] Stephanie from Sane Australia on Life with Borderline Personality Disorder

[letitgo]

Thank you for being so open with us and sharing all this @Steph_SaneAustralia. Interesting point about the shame that follows episodes like that. I really admire how self-aware you are about all of this.

[Steph_SaneAustralia]

@letitgo That's such a good point you make.  Its very tiring.  Always being on edge and hyper conscious of things that could be triggering or causing anxiety.  Its like being on red alert the whole time.  The thoughts are just constantly whizzing around.

[Ben-RO]

Hmm i think it's almost time for the next question! 

But before i ask it, i thought i'd leave a bit of a space for people to let us know what they might want to talk about! 

Is there anything in particular about BPD, or recovery when you're living with BPD that you'd like to know more about? 

[letitgo]

Hmmm.... @Ben-RO one question would probably be: What role has self-care played for you in recovery from BPD? And do you think this particular diagnosis makes self-care more difficult?  

[khaleesi_18]

@scared01that sounds really challenging, particularly when it can be tough to work out what your triggers may be.

@Steph_SaneAustraliait's really powerful that you can share your experiences with us tonight

[khaleesi_18]

Great question @letitgo!

[scared01]

@khaleesi_18 yes it is quite challanging esp since the last time i listed all my triggers it was 3 A4 pages long

[scared01]

great question @letitgo

[Steph_SaneAustralia]

I love this question. For me self care has been the biggest help in my recovery. I felt like the mindfulness that I learned in DBT really helped me slow down my rapid thoughts and responses. It was initially really difficult because I also was recovering from an eating disorder and being aware of my body and my bodies responses was initially REALLY uncomfortable. But I learned to be patient. It was all part of what I was trying to manage.

[khaleesi_18]

@scared01it sounds like you've been doing a lot of reflecting on your triggers. What does self-care look like for you, and what sorts of things have you found to be helpful if you do encounter something that's triggering for you?