Spoken Hope Member - Lindsay
Borderline Personality Disorder is a severe mental illness that often comes along with some pretty harsh stigmas. People who live with BPD can suffer from a variety of different symptoms, for example: the fear of abandonment, impulsivity, chronic emptiness, constantly shifting self-image and rapid and extreme mood swings.
The 5 symptoms above are the ones that I happen to struggle with the most. Life with BPD sometimes feels like I’ve been riding a roller coaster that only does loop-de-loops all day, by the end you’re exhausted. One thing I’ve learned since being diagnosed with this disorder is just how important finding good coping strategies can be.
I’ve got lots of different coping strategies I use on a daily basis. Things like deep breathing, playing with fidgets, using a weighted lap pad/ blanket and seeing and connecting with my people are all on the top of my list. But one that I don’t really talk about much is my love for my polaroid camera.
There’s something about being able to pause a moment in time and capture the emotion in a single photo that brings my heart so much joy. When I carry around my camera I find that I often take more time to look at the world around me, and suddenly my brain isn’t thinking of the 8 million other things running through it but it’s looking for the little things that I want to capture and remember.
Life can be hard, chaotic and stressful, especially when you’re struggling with your mental health; but it’s also filled with lots of breathtaking sunsets, incredible people and the Jonas Brothers (aka my favourite band of all time). Take a moment and pause, remember you got this. Together we got this.