[bpd2]

Any suggestions on avoiding the anxiety about mood shifts? I am high and happy right now, BUT either I feel the crash coming OR I'm afraid it's coming. I can't even tell which it is.....
In either case, I am so glad you are all here; I am sure I am not alone in this anxiety.

[kitty004567]

You're certainly not alone in the anxiety. I just try to be aware of my moods and try to head off a crash when I feel it coming.

[Skully]

Originally Posted by kitty004567

You're certainly not alone in the anxiety. I just try to be aware of my moods and try to head off a crash when I feel it coming.

Advice is very good. If you feel it coming or are afraid of it coming, think of ways you can head it off. It usually works for me.

[blueoctober]

Hi bpd2; Is there something that you can do that releases the anxiety. Exercising helps me. Regular sleep is a big one for me, so if I'm too high and can't sleep I take a sleeping tab. Does your pdoc have anything that he or she suggests meds wise? I hope you don't have a crash and have a nice holiday weekend.

[bpd2]

Thanks Kitty, Skully, and blueoctober!
I'm on mood stabilizers/anti-psychotics, but I can't get regular appointments with my psychologist. It's nerve-wracking. I only see him every other week, anyway (distance is extreme--5-hour drive), and when one of the appointments is cancelled, he doesn't re-schedule me for the next week, so I end up four weeks between appointments.....It's frustrating to both of us that I can't maintain stability. He says I am strong enough, after 4 years, to do it. I can, about a third of the time. The other two-thirds, I'm a wreck, living two lives at once--trying to be in the room with others, but really in my head screaming.
So...I need alternatives to therapy-as-stability support.......If the stability depends on me, that's an iffy way to go. In the end, of course, I have to reach that....but, let's face it: I'm bipolar and borderline, so....like that's gonna happen.........

[Gus1234U]

nobody says: stay off that roller coaster, it goes up and down~! we can learn to tolerate the ups and downs,, life doesn't have to be flat~! hope you find the strength to take what ever comes and leave it where you found it,, bpd~!! best wishes~ Gus

[kitty004567]

Sure it is...it's just gonna take a lot of work. Have you tried looking around the self-help forums? There are lots of good ideas there.

[bpd2]

Thanks Gus and Kitty. Good points, good ideas. I'm anxious and just wasn't thinking well. Thanks for the help.

[BlackPup]

Originally Posted by bpd2

It's frustrating to both of us that I can't maintain stability. He says I am strong enough, after 4 years, to do it. I can, about a third of the time. The other two-thirds, I'm a wreck, living two lives at once--trying to be in the room with others, but really in my head screaming.
So...I need alternatives to therapy-as-stability support.......If the stability depends on me, that's an iffy way to go. In the end, of course, I have to reach that....but, let's face it: I'm bipolar and borderline, so....like that's gonna happen.........

You are strong, you have survived alot being BP and BPD.... but it's not "strength" that stabilises your moods... It's a combination of the right meds, learning techniques to help and being able to put them in place.
Yes, there is a lot which has to come from you to be able to live well with both conditions, but your illness isn't because you are not strong enough; it is a function of your genes, environment and your experiences.
The strongest weightlifter can't do gymnastics without learning the techniques, practising them as well as being flexible enough...
its the same with the way we have to be able to think to get through the moods, learning techniques to manage moods and recognise signs and putting it into practice and being flexible enough to bend without breaking - its totally not strenth.

[bpd2]

"The strongest weightlifter can't do gymnastics without learning the techniques, practising them as well as being flexible enough..."

Thank you, BlackPup. The tools are all around me. I have to remember that. Thank you.

[BlackPup]

Take care, its a lifelong journey - be kind to yourself along the way...