Avoiding Triggers With Borderline Personality Disorder

Avoiding Triggers With Borderline Personality Disorder More in BPD Living With BPD Diagnosis Treatment Related Conditions We know that with  borderline personality disorder (BPD), symptoms are often made worse by certain situations, people, or events. For example, many people with BPD find that their symptoms are triggered by criticism from loved ones, reminders of traumatic events, or perceived episodes of abandonment or rejection. These memories or actions can bring on symptoms  of BPD, such as extreme emotional reactions and poor impulse control. Avoiding Triggers One strategy you can use to manage your BPD symptoms is to avoid triggers altogether. This is often recommended in the early stages of BPD treatment plans as you begin to get a handle on your symptoms. Avoiding triggers can be an important step to get you more stabilized while you learn essential coping skills during therapy. By staying away from things that set off your symptoms, you have time to practice your skills in situations that are low risk for you. If you jump into trigger situations before you have a solid foundation from therapy, you are likely  to be unprepared to handle them and will likely experience your usual BPD symptoms or outbursts. Understanding Triggers BPD triggers  are situations, people, or events that can worsen your BPD symptoms. While specific BPD triggers vary from person to person, there are some that are very common. They can be either external, happening in the world around you, or internal, occurring only in your thoughts. The things that trigger you will depend on your history. For example, if you experienced abuse as a child, things that could bring those memories to the forefront might include a news report of child abuse, an article in the paper, or even a movie. Identifying Your Triggers If you havent done so previously, take a moment to learn  how to identify your BPD triggers. If youre not sure where to start, try to think of times in the recent past when you felt intense emotion, impulsivity, or felt a desire to self-harm. Then look back to the events that preceded the emotion. Therapists often recommend writing down a list of triggers, followed by the emotion they triggered, and the reaction you had to that emotion. How to Avoid Triggers With BPD Early on in treatment, it may help to design your life in a way in which you can minimize triggers. Some people find that they need to eliminate watching the news from their day, and possibly eliminate many forms of media in general. If there are people in your life who trigger you, you may need to go low contact or no contact while you work through the initial stages of your BPD. There are some triggers that your therapist may recommend you continue to avoid even later into your  treatment plan. If a certain movie scene reminds you of a traumatic childhood event, theres no point in watching it or forcing yourself through it; it will only cause unnecessary pain. From movies to sad songs, these are the types of small triggers you can avoid without disrupting your life. Other Strategies for Coping Avoiding triggers is not always possible or even advisable, and therefore learning other ways to  cope with BPD triggers  is important as well. Avoiding triggers is only one option for your recovery and not a long-term solution for every trigger. While it can be extremely helpful as you begin to work with a therapist,  you need to exercise this strategy in moderation. Avoiding triggers can be very useful when the trigger you are avoiding is predictable and avoiding it doesnt limit your life in significant ways. But if the trigger is unpredictable or involves very large parts of your life, avoiding it isnt realistic or sustainable. For example, many people with BPD are triggered by conflict in their relationships. The only way to avoid conflict in relationships completely, however, is to have no relationships at all, since conflict is an inevitable part of all relationships. Unfortunately, many people with BPD find themselves pushing away loved ones for this very reason; they may become avoidant of relationships altogether in order to avoid exacerbating their symptoms. This strategy doesnt work. It only makes feelings of rejection and loneliness worse, bringing on severe symptoms. Find Support With the 9 Best Online Therapy Programs Deciding How to Handle Triggers Its important to work with your therapist or doctor when deciding how to handle triggers. He or she will help you navigate whether or not its practical to avoid them. If avoiding a trigger will disrupt your life in some way, such as keeping you from going to work or ignoring your partner, avoidance isnt a viable option for you. Your therapist will instead help you find another way to cope with the trigger, such as developing a trigger action plan. Bottom Line Triggers can set off or exacerbate the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. If youre living with BPD, learning to identify those triggers is an important part of managing your symptoms. Avoiding triggers can sometimes be helpful, especially early on when youre learning to navigate your condition. With time, however, other methods of coping with triggers become very important in order to develop and improve your relationships with others.