In this episode, I try to contextualize the idea of Spiraling and how it can lead to what some people call a 'BPD Episode.' Spiraling, to me, is kind of like falling down the rabbit hole; it usually begins when I experience some negative self talk and can lead to feelings of existential dread or overwhelming sadness. For many people, Spiraling leads to 'Episodes;' times where we might lash out against others or experience rage because we have been triggered and don't know how to engage in...

In this episode, I sit down with Alicen - @alicenricard on instagram - who is one of the co-hosts of the Not Enough Spoons podcast. Alicen wrote an article called "To Those Who Don't Understand My Favourite Person Relationship (2020)" which I found when I was researching my Favourite Person episode from a while ago. I reached out to Alicen in May and asked her to be a part of the podcast so we could further discuss what a Favourite Person is and how to navigate this often intense...

In this episode, I speak about the topic of Identity Disturbance; a clinical term used to describe the chronic symptom of unstable identity. Many people with BPD struggle with feelings of Identity Disturbance; they might feel like they don't understand who or why they are the way they are, and thus might start to self identify with things or people around them as they morph into a different version of their 'self'. I've struggled with this for most of my life; constantly trying to find...

In this episode, I touch on the topic of Comorbid Diagnosis before telling you a bit about my own journey to getting diagnosed as Autistic. Research estimates that 50-96% of people with BPD are living with a comorbid mental health condition, whether that is depression or anxiety, other mood disorders, or even substance abuse issues (to name a few). Understanding how to treat these comorbid diagnosis can be integral to our understanding of what BPD means for us, as we can get the treatment we...

In this episode, I offer 5 tips on how we can support someone on their mental health journey. The majority of messages I get from people who listen to this podcast ask how they can support their partner, loved-one, or friend who has BPD. Offering support is such a beautiful thing to do but it can also leave people feeling confused or afraid of saying the wrong thing. The 5 tips I gave are : 1. Do your Research 2. Develop Open Communication 3. Practice Empathy 4. See the individual in the...

Today's episode is a bit of a ramble; I'm not feeling the greatest and I decided to just talk about the reality of how mental illness can affect my daily life. I've been feeling this sense of impending sadness over the past few days - not being able to concentrate, feeling more pain than usual, feeling restless and distracted - and when I woke up, I knew it was going to be a hard day. Some days are like this; it can last for a few minutes to a few hours to the whole day, but as I've learned...

In this episode, I try to breakdown the 'Favourite Person' phenomenon that seems to have become synonymous with BPD due to the rise of social media forums which speak about this topic. A 'Favourite Person' is more than a best friend or intense romantic partner; they seem to represent some type of innate need that someone is looking for i.e they provide stability or affection or help someone to feel more secure in themselves. Sometimes, this dynamic can result in possessiveness and jealousy,...

In this bonus episode, I decided to record a Guided Meditation to encourage you to find some sense of stillness and mindfulness in your every day life. The actual meditation starts around the 2min mark, with a short introduction before we begin. I meditate to work on my emotional resiliency during times of stress and to allow myself the space to work through my emotions. This was recorded in my backyard so I hope hearing the bird sounds won't be too distracting; I actually find that they help...

This episode was inspired by a poll on my Instagram where I asked people if they would be interested in learning more about psychosis and hallucinations, especially within a BPD context. I start by providing some definitions and examples of what psychosis is, then I talk about my own experiences and how I've come to terms with understanding my own hallucinations. 3 in every 100 people will experience a psychotic episode in their life so it is extremely important for us to destigmatize this...

In this episode, I decided to go back to the basics of what BPD is. I talk about the history of this mental illness, the 9 symptoms that are associated with getting a diagnosis, and some of the critiques or controversies around this often misunderstood disorder. I wanted to revisit the format of my first episode, The Basics, as I felt like my understanding of this mental illness has changed and shifted with the more research I have done and what I've learned from other therapists and people...

Hello! Welcome back to Season Three of You and Me and BPD. I am so excited to be making new episodes again and to continue to get to connect with people who live with BPD and/or autism. As I mentioned in this episode, I was re-diagnosed with BPD at the end of August, along with the new diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum so this season will be slightly different from previous seasons because I have a different understanding of my mental health and overall well-being. This is just the...

This is a little rambly episode where I sign off for the winter season. Winter, to me, is a time of deep introspection and rest so like last season, this podcast will be on hiatus until the spring (or summer, depends on how I feel). Thank you so much for listening and messaging and being a part of this little corner of the internet; I never expected anyone to listen to this podcast and I am continuously surprised that you enjoy what I have to say. This was my first time talking about being...

In today's episode, Cordelia and I spoke about her journey to diagnosis, what BPD is like in her daily life, and some of the ways that she makes sure that she is taking care of herself. Cordelia reached out to me on my Instagram to be a part of this podcast and I am so happy I got to interview her today and see some of the similarities and differences between how we both experience this often misunderstood disorder. My hope for this podcast was to be able to find a community of people who are...

This episode is all about depression; what the symptoms are, some of the ways I've experienced depressive states, and how important it is to allow ourselves to feel our emotions in a safe way. There is some talk about suicide and self harm, so if you are not in the best mindset to hear about these topics please keep yourself safe and skip this episode. I tried to give some tangible tips of how we can learn to process our depression by 1. Naming what we feel (even if it's many feelings at...

In this episode, I sat down with my Mother and had a conversation about my childhood, trauma, setting boundaries, and how we have managed to navigate our relationship while living with mental health issues. We talk about how important it is to have open forms of communication, as well as how generational teachings factor in to parent-child relationships when it comes to talking about and understanding mental health. Our relationship had not always been as open as it is now, but we have...

In this episode, I talk about how I experience loneliness. The feeling of loneliness is one of the most human feelings we can experience, but I know that it can be hard to explain and hard to vocalize why we feel the way we do. I touch on the topic of 'spiraling' - when one emotion or thought leads to another and it feels like you are falling into a bottomless pit - as well as some of the ways that loneliness can contribute to an overwhelming sense of emptiness if we are not honest about how...

In this episode, I provide a quick rundown of what BPD is and some things that I think are important to talk about when friends and family are trying to understand what this diagnosis means. Of the most important aspects to this conversation, I think the main takeaways are to have more compassion and patience for those with BPD as it is a hard condition to live with and our triggers can exist in manifest in many different ways. There are a lot of negative stereotypes and ideas on the internet...

2/3rds of people with BPD will struggle with Substance Abuse & Addiction issues. With the warmer weather and people starting to get excited for lockdowns to end, many of us will be put in situations where we can't hide our addictions any longer. This episode is to encourage you, spread awareness about the connection between BPD and addiction, and hopefully let you know that you are not alone in your struggles. From being addicted to food, self harm, or alcohol/drugs, addiction touches so...

This is a short meditation practice using the breath. The actual practice starts around 12mins. These are the 4 statements we will be repeating to ourselves :::: A) Breathing in, I am aware of the in breath + Breathing out, I am aware of the out breath B) Breathing in, I am aware of the breath in my body + Breathing out, I am aware of the breath leaving my body C) Breathing in, I am calm + Breathing out, I am relaxed D) Breathing in, I am alive + Breathing out, I am here. 🖤 feel free to use...

Hello! Thank you a thousand times over for a year of this podcast. I am so thankful to every one of you who have given me a space to talk and connect and feel supported by this amazing online community we have created. Today's episode is about stress management, specifically how to make sure we are taking care of ourselves before things become so overwhelming we can't handle our emotions anymore. Personally, I struggle a lot with anger issues and trying to make sure I'm not taking out my...

In today's episode, I decided to talk about some of the self doubt I struggle with on a near constant basis. I talk a bit about Imposter Syndrome and how it relates to BPD, as well as many of my daily experiences when it comes to formulating my idea of 'self' and how I try to handle self doubt when it comes into my life. One suggestion I have for those of you who are struggling with self doubt is to take the time to really figure out who you are, not who you want to be, but what things make...

In this episode, I talk about the aspect of 'reframing a situation' as it pertains to how we look at and understand what it means to live with Borderline Personality Disorder. A lot of my podcast is about spreading awareness and advocacy for the struggles we face, but honestly, it can be hard to talk from this kind of 'suffering' perspective when in reality, there are some pretty awesome things we get from living with this condition. Deep empathy, self awareness, and our intuitive way of...

In this episode, I sit down with my husband and talk about how we handle the emotional rollercoaster of BPD in our relationship. Many of the messages I get from people who listen to the podcast are from people who are dating or married to someone with BPD so I thought a convo with my husband might provide some insight from a different perspective about what BPD means to us. We talk about apologizing and the benefits of being open with your partner, as well as how we important dialogue is when...

In this episode, we look into how living with BPD or mental illnesses affect how we are in the world and how we relate to others. Chronic mental illness changes everything about your being... how you see the world, and how you see yourself so it's important to talk about in order to continue to hold ourselves accountable to others and responsible for our actions. In my opinion, self reflection is one of the most important parts of being able to learn from our past, how it relates to in our...

Hey! It's been a while. This is a mini episode as an intro to season two of You, Me, and BPD. I am so thankful to all of you who have sent me messages about this podcast and how it has helped. Sometimes, talking into the abyss of the internet is scary, but I feel so seen and honoured to support you all on your journeys of understanding BPD and how it affects you. As always, don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about this podcast on my Instagram page...