Diagnosed with bpd and cant hold down a job.

[GraceA91]

I have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and found out mine is genetic and environmental due to my family having all different mental health issues throughout generations. I have a fear of rejection, no self worth, unstable sense of self, anxiety, I tend to like people then devaluate them when they do 3 or more things that I consider to be bad, I can not handle any type of criticism,i have trouble maintaining friendships yet I can maintain my relationship with my partner, im always looking for validation from others, I tend to dissociate when under servere stress, I have memory lapses, I hallucinate when my anxiety goes through the roof and I have black and white thinking. Because of all this I have trouble coping in work environments and I had to quit my job. I was recently given exercises by a therapist to help me cope with my emotions and anxiety which has been helping but I fear that if I get a job and am subjected to so much stress that my bpd will get out of control again. Is there anyone else with bpd that has successfully held down a job and if so how do you cope with work related stress?

[Doolhof]

Hi Grace91,

Thanks for sharing your story with us and welcome tot he community. As a person who also experienced Borderline Personality Disorder, I would like to encourage you to continue on with the techniques that have been suggested to you.

At present I am not working due to both mental health and physical health issues. I do volunteer work and can have moments where my BPD is triggered volunteering. At times I need to bite my tongue and tell myself that it is okay for people to have an opinion or a thought that is different from mine, and tomorrow this issue is not going to matter.

Easier said than done at times I know. I also find it helpful to write down all the unhelpful things that I have experienced.

I've also borrowed books on understanding BPD from the library and purchased a couple to help me understand myself better.

Hope you manage to find some answers and methods of coping that help you.

Cheers from Dools