Anonymous
I used to cut, I used to stick paper to the walls and write really horrible suicidal stuff in my own blood. I got sent to a doctor who said this sometimes happens to ‘young sensitive girls’. I stopped but I felt empty all the time, the only emotions I could feel were bad ones. It’s bad at home with money and family members. I think I’ve got Borderline Personality Disorder. I’ve most of the symptoms but could be wrong. I don’t want to be a silly little girl who cuts; I don’t know what to do.
Okay, first things first- you’re never a ‘silly little girl that cuts’ I promise <3 You’re problem isn’t that you’re oversensitive or stupid or silly. I promise you that. It’s very real, even if some doctors won’t take it seriously. There are people out there who will though. There are hotlines you can call and doctors you can see.
My best advice would be to not self-diagnose, especially when it comes to things like bpd, because it always does more harm then good- and sometimes it leads the brain to subconsciously produce previously unseen symptoms based on the diagnosis you’ve made yourself. That’s why it’s always best to leave the professional diagnosis to a counsellor, a psychologist or a doctor.
I think that you should seek help from a professional because there are people out there who can help. There are plenty of them out in the community whether it be a school psychologist/counsellor, a youth worker or a doctor. I strongly suggest you go and see them because not only do I think you should get help, I think you deserve to get better.
You’re very brave for reaching out to me, and I think that it shows that you really do want to get better. The road to recovery is never an easy one, but it’s so worth it in the end and so are you <3 keep me posted beautiful and stay strong !
Dealing with Anxiety
1. The Right Vitamens Make sure that you are not deficient in minerals such as magnesium and potassium. Most people on regular diets do not get the recommended amount of magnesium, which results in a variety of symptoms, including anxiety. If this is the case for you, whatever you try is simply not going to cure your anxiety except from increasing your magnesium/potassium intake.
2. Ditch the caffeine! Caffeine, chocolate and sugar are proven to increase your level of anxiety.Ditch the caffeine! Caffeine, chocolate and sugar are proven to increase your level of anxiety. It can also make you fidgety and decrease your ability to get to sleep. Sleeping is proven to help decrease stress and anxiety as well as nervousness.
3. Meditate. It’s hard at first to be focused on only one thing- your breath-but it is very calming and healthy! Count your breath inhaling one thousand one, one thousand two… then exhaling one thousand one, one thousand two one thousand three, one thousand four, then repeat until your body starts to tingle. Your body will feel like this because it isn’t used to so much blood passing through the veins at one time, but don’t worry, this is a good thing. Many cultures see meditation as a key for their health.
4. Build up your self esteem. Many people who are stressed and anxious have low self esteem! If this is you, get a pen and paper and write down everything that you like about yourself. Maybe you’re smart, or athletic, or pretty. The good news is, many people with anxiety and stress are very intelligent, analytical and creative. The bad news is they use those good qualities and turn them into “what if (insert something bad here)” or they make things a bigger deal than they really were, or they demand nothing less than perfection from themselves. Obviously, no one is perfect, so they let themselves down. Start thinking positively about yourself, and expect less from what you do! That may not be what you want to hear, but you don’t have to be a perfectionist!
5. Choose a sounding board. If you need to vent ask your spouse, friend, or therapist for advice and tell them how you feel. Sometimes just putting your feelings into words can take a lot of stress away! If you don’t feel like you can talk to someone about this, write it down on paper, whatever comes to your head, then come back an hour later and read it, you’ll be surprised at how much you can learn about yourself this way.
6. Exercise. By exercising you increase your heart rate and in turn pumps blood faster around the body. This requires more oxygen which in turn work the lungs. Your entire cardio vascular system improves. The side effect of this is a slowly reducing blood pressure which is essential for dealing with stress and anxiety. If the idea of relaxing - rather than strenous - exercise appeals to you better consider trying yoga, Tai Chi, or Tae Bo! These increase both your physical and mental well being, and they are a lot of fun. Breathing exercises are also worth considering as they can greatly help reduce anxiety symptoms.
7. Treat yourself. When is the last time you did something for yourself? Go to the mall, or play tennis, go to the beach, or the spa, play poker or go to a club; whatever makes you happy, you deserve to be happy too! Stop worrying about everything else and start thinking about you, because you are the only one who can manage your stress and anxiety.
8. Find a distraction. If you find yourself unable to sleep sometimes the best option is to accept that you will be tired the next day. You may find yourself unable to stop thinking about your anxiety and what is making you anxious (if it is apparent). Exercise is a great distraction and should probably be your first option, but you may be unable to exercise or maybe you already did and are tired out from it. What now? Anything non-destructive can be helpful. Try reading, writing, gaming, singing, telling yourself a story, reciting the phone numbers you know, or anything that can distract your mind. Sitting around thinking about how uncomfortable / anxious you are is the worst thing you can do. Eating is not a recommended distraction.
