So often I think the key to living life with BPD is to just untangle (or avoid) as many messes as possible. If I avoid so-and-so, if I don’t talk to what’s-his-face, if I move and change jobs and ignore my family, etc. etc. THEN I’ll never turn into crazy BPD person. How many times have you had the “I’ll change my name and move to another country and re-create myself” fantasy? How about the one where you go live in a cabin in the woods and commit to being a full-on hermit? They’re some of my favourite fantasies when I just feel like my life is too fucked up to fix and I can’t face it anymore.
The truth is that life just is a bit of a mess and it always will be. If it’s not, chances are you’re not really living. When I think back to times that everything has gone as smoothly as I could possibly make it go, they were really boring times. Really boring. No deep relationships. Lots of boring work of some kind or another. No important responsibilities or goals or happiness or despair. Just smooth going. Those times pretty much fell under “subsisting” rather than living.
I know it’s obvious that the “cure” for BPD is to learn how to face these tangles in life, not avoid them. But I at least want the control of choosing when I’m going to come across a tangle, and of course I don’t even have that option.
Right now I really do my best to avoid “drama” – I mean unnecessary crap that involves gossip or fights or whatever. But regardless, some stuff comes up that just makes me feel about 14 years old and want to shut out everyone all over again rather than be dragged into the messiness that is normal life.
One of my closest female friends has had a torch for this guy for several years. As of this week, he has declared a bit of a torch for yours truly (?!). Now this is just classic. Welcome to my life. I try to get on my own two feet, have therapy, be okay, hold down a job and whatnot, and interpersonal stuff just flies up in my face being like, “ha HA, you thought you outgrew it, didn’t you??”
a) I am terrified because I actually sort of kind of think I like this guy back and I swore I’d never date anyone again after my disaster relationship five years ago (gahhhhh but he is so sweet and cute, you don’t even know *becomes giggly child about this*). b) I am terrified of losing this friend or hurting her; I really care about her and her friendship and I don’t think I can handle being rejected by her over this guy. c) This whole stupid roommate situation is STILL ongoing, which means I’m living at my parents’ place (!?) and feel like an out-of-control, unstable teenager already.
So. Messy. So. Frustrating.
What do you guys think? Do you try to avoid drama as a rule, or do you embrace it and find that you grow through these experiences?
Cat xxxxx
Half of a Soul - Life with BPD 
I avoid drama. I have a small group of friends, family, and acquaintances. I volunteer. I practice music and learn theory. I study for my degree. I play with my stuffed animal. I write music and fiction. I write in my journal. I go to therapy. That’s my entire life. And it feels like what my life should be. As simple as is reasonable, with a solid balance of happiness, fun, work, love, and recovery. Of course my life will change, and I will have to adjust the scales eventually, but it is where I need to be and where I need to be going. And I’m proud of that.
@Heatherplant, thanks for sharing. Sounds like you have a good balance going. I find my BPD can often create drama but in this case, I don’t think it is that? Which is kind of refreshing – I mean to NOT be the one having various dramatic feelings. I feel like my fear of drama has meant shutting a lot of things/people out in the past but you’re right, there’s a balance to be found and I hope I can learn to deal with things in a way that encourages that xxxx p.s. is your degree in music? Oddly, I got my BMus some years ago so just wondering 🙂