Borderline Psycho(ology): Reclaiming Crazy

I recommend going and listening to the iconic, tongue-in-cheek song from Crazy Ex Girlfriend, appropriately titled 'A Diagnosis'. If you go off and listen to it for the first time, please note the song is not meant to be taken seriously... getting a diagnosis, as I discuss in this episode, won't solve everything. (I wanted to include a snippet of it with this episode but it meant the episode would only be available on Spotify so I removed it)

Included in today's episode: how I got my diagnosis, the positives of having one, the downsides and general discussions around health services (in the UK, at least). I also discuss medication and types of therapy. See you next week.

"It's a rich man's game no matter what they call it and you spend your life puttin' money in his wallet.." Dolly wasn't wrong, but, we live in aggressively capitalist societies (unfortunately, in my opinion). In this episode I discuss why the way we view work in the UK (and probably a lot of the West) is so toxic and why it particularly sucks for people with BPD. I talk about what difficulties we can encounter and how we can try to manage them. 

Discussing the value of friendship, how BPD can make friendships challenging but also make them strong and beautiful. 

Ah, it's all or nothing, right? Productive as hell or in bed for days. But routine is key to structure, organisation and getting sh*t done. In this episode I share why routine/productivity can be so up and down for borderlines as well as sharing my own personal routine. Warning! I'm a little bit of an astrology woo-woo type, so my routine is based on planetary "energies". You don't need to know anything about astrology to understand this episode, or even believe in it, as regardless of whether it's real or not my 7-day week is preeeeeeeeeetty well planned, if I may say so myself! I also acknowledge how easily routine can go down the pan, but hey -- the important thing is we get back up and try again. 

Disassociation: what is it, why does it happen, what does it feel like and what can we do to help ourselves when experiencing it? Practical tips for what to do during dissociative episodes. And hey - you got this. I believe in you. Keep safe!

"Borderline rage" or explosive rage is a symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder. What is it? What's the difference between anger and BPD anger/rage? I share a story from my past as I discuss what BPD rage is and why it's such a difficult part of the disorder. I also share guidance and advice that I've learnt from anger management coaching and my own experiences as someone with a psychology background. Stay safe, folks.

Musings on what it means to have an unstable sense of self or identity.

Splitting aka black and white thinking: a defence mechanism often used by borderlines to escape abandonment or rejection. Discussing what splitting is, why we do it, what it looks like and what we can do to minimise this often destructive way of seeing people/events/situations/life. It's all about balance - easier said than done, right?!