About 50 percent of people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can also be clinically diagnosed with severe depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). If depression is a co-occurring disorder for you, you’ll want to look for a Borderline Personality Disorder treatment center that offers treatment for both disorders and can cater a treatment plan specifically to you, so that you can attack both of your disorders simultaneously.
The trouble is, if you are suffering from depression, just getting out of bed in the morning can be a challenge, let alone taking a step toward recovery from your Borderline Personality Disorder.
Here are some tips that might give you the strength to take that first step.
Set simple goals. Don’t be intimidated by the “big picture” goal of recovery. Make a list of items to take care of, one each day. The satisfaction of crossing a task off the list alone should give you a boost! Something like, “Day one – make a list of Borderline Personality Disorder treatment centers and their phone numbers, Day two – research what questions to ask when calling them, Day three – call one BPD treatment center, Day four – call the next treatment center,” and so on. Each day, you’ll see what you’ve accomplished toward your recovery, and you’ll be closer in your search for the right support.
Move your body. If this sounds simple, that’s because it is. Studies have long shown the correlation between exercise and mood. Depression is a major energy drainer, one that can be combated with even light aerobic exercise. Even a walk around your neighborhood or at a nearby park can help you feel more in control, and help you burn off pent up stress and worry. Better yet, movement and time spent in the outdoors is proven to help you sleep better.
If the idea of exercise sounds impossible or even pointless, start small. Try just putting on your sweats and sneakers. Once they’re on, you might as well step outside, right? There are many holistic BPD treatment centers that integrate classes such as yoga to help you get physical in your recovery.
Realize you’re not alone. Studies show that nearly 17 million American adults suffer from depression. While you may feel, as you make your way through your day, that everyone around you “knows how” to live life, makes the “right” choices, and is “in control,” chances are you’re seeing their game faces. Everyone has a story, a history, and everyone finds all sorts of ways to deal with challenges and life in general. Realizing this gives you the opportunity to empathize with others. If someone cuts you off in traffic or is rude to you at the coffee shop, try to step outside yourself, realize it’s not about you, and practice empathy. Knowing others are facing challenges, and feeling for them, can give you a lift from your own mire of depression.
In the PBS Health Campaign “Take One Step,” successful public relations agent Terrie Williams discusses how she managed to rise above her depression. She had spent her entire life busy and wildly successful on the outside and hurting on the inside, and she finally decided that in order to live a life of health and wholeness, she would need to seek help.
Her advice for taking the first step?
“Be honest with yourself. Tell somebody,” she says. “When we share our stories – the good, the bad, the real – it gives us strength. It lets us know that we’re not standing on the ledge alone.“
Williams continues. “It encourages us to face our own truth.”
The truth is that recovery is within your reach.
Imagine BPD treatment as an escalator. The first step might be scary, and you might feel a little wobbly at the beginning, but when you find the Borderline Personality Disorder treatment center that is right for you, you are supported the rest of the way, rising above the symptoms of BPD and depression.