The Misunfortunate Tells..

“What’s important to realize is that they are constantly being bombarded with thoughts and feelings of fear, convincing them that dangerous trauma and nefarious people are around every corner. The problem is that they completely trust all of their emotions. If they feel like it’s true then it is true to them.”

I’m not big into the articles where the main topic is the negatives of Borderline Personality and how we’re so “exhausting” to deal with - but unfortunately, for some of the people we love, that can be a truth. We know. We’re trying. But, we’re trying everything at once. Protection, maintaining vulnerability while also not oversharing - trying to get better, trying to navigate the fight-or-flight that is happening 24/7, feeling the disappointment when we take steps back - most times, for no reason other than the “fact” we’ve made up in our head, destroying the relationships we’ve took so long to build only to do our best to put the pieces back together - one by one, and then turning around and doing it all over again. I’m my own worst enemy, and it’s hard to explain that in a way that isn’t just your cliché “oh no.. I'm in my 20s, everyone hates me” type thing. It doesn’t feel like anyone understands it, because that’s just the reality, most people don’t. And, that doesn’t make me lesser than, it just is what it is.

To my borderline friends, my borderline loved ones, and those I have met - Thank you for understanding, thank you for being here, and thank you for fighting through the exhaustion that “everyone” supposedly claims to deal with, when being in relation to you, when you, yourself, are the one fighting it every hour, every day, all the time. 

Unfortunately, as of 2014, 80% of those dealing with Borderline report attempts, 10% of them end up completing their attempts. This is 50% higher than the general population. The average lifespan of someone diagnosed with BPD is 27 years old - it is an urgent conversation that needs to stop being ignored.

Aside from the statistics..

If you believe you are showing symptoms for being able to meet criteria of Borderline Personality Disorder, please seek therapeutic help and a medical diagnosis. This isn’t a disorder that you can self-diagnosis and seemingly walk away from without issue. 

Thanks for coming to my TED talk. Alexis Penhorwood | Building Blocks | 02.03.2022

[DSM-5 Criteria For Borderline Personality Disorder]