BPD & Impulsivity

One of the most common symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder is active participation in impulsive activities. It’s a major part of my mental illness, and sometimes it can get me in trouble! But sometimes, it also can change my life for good. Since BPDers struggle to regulate their emotions and thoughts, they don’t think before they do. They just do. When you have BPD, some symptoms can stand out more than others. For me, impulsivity is one of my most spotlighted symptoms. If you look at my arms I’m covered in tattoos. I love my tattoos though, I feel that since I can’t express my emotions properly I can freely express myself through the art of my ink. Same with shopping, I should not be allowed to have a credit card… I spend way too much shopping online. But then I justify it by reminding myself how hard I work. Even though being impulsive can be bad, it can also bring good. I reacted to my impulse by deciding to do a pageant, and look at where I am now. Everything I have done towards my platform have been impulsive and random thoughts/ideas! The idea of promoting awareness towards Borderline Personality Disorder is to try to embrace the idea of accepting your symptoms and utilizing it to your advantage. We are compassionate and ambitious. People cannot be defined by their mental illness, because even those with the same diagnosis can be completely different. One of the biggest impulsive decisions I’ve ever made is something that completely changed my life. Shortly after I started dating my boyfriend, I decided to quit my dreaded retail job and work construction. I joined his crew which is operated by his dad and close family members + friends, and now I consider them my family, my best friends. They took me in. I did this on a random Tuesday night at the dinner table. I am a successful second-year framer, and definitely am making way more than I would ever have made at my previous job. At my workplace there are no strict uniform regulations, and I don’t even have to pretend to be someone I’m not. I can be authentically myself at my job, all while building the future of my city. So, sometimes the things that you may think are bad about yourself could actually be what you need to change your life. Embrace every part of you, good and bad.