About Daimeera
Hello there!
I'm a 21 year old female from Nova Scotia, Canada. I'm not as active on this site as I once was, but I will almost certainly reply to private questions sent to me.
Let's see, about me. I've been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Clinical Depression, as well as some other related mental and physical illnesses. Despite this, I'm happier now than I can ever remember being.
I've been a vegan since August 2007. In other words, I do my best not to consume anything of animal origin, ranging from the obvious (meat), to the somewhat obvious (eggs and dairy), to the not-so-obvious (honey, wool, silk, and more). I love this life. I have so much more appreciation for everything and everyone around me, and I feel so at peace with myself and the world. I wake up everyday and know that I'm making a difference. It's been a huge turning point in my life.
I recently graduated from high school after an extra three years due to my illness. It was a long road, but it felt amazing to walk across that stage. An added bonus was having the 15th highest average (over my high school career) out of 258 students!
I intend to pursue a career in psychology, first obtaining my BA, and then attending graduate school in order to study for my PhD. It's a little daunting at times, but I know it will be worth it. I want to help people, plain and simple. I want to make a difference. I want to change the world. And I believe I can, if only in a small way.
I think that's me in a nutshell. I also enjoy writing, knitting, multiple other artistic endeavors (including drawing, photography, music, and more), web design, and many other things. So, feel free to drop me a message if you think there's something I can help with.
Psst, guess what? I, like everyone else, have my very own message board! You can visit it here.
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E-mail: cheekchewingchipmunk@hotmail.com
Gender: Female
Location: NS, Canada
Occupation: Student
Age: 21
Member Since: December 6, 2006
Answers: 346
Last Update: July 15, 2008
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Hello my name is Emily and I am 22 from Canada. I found your culumn and felt that you were a good person to ask this too.
I have been a sufferer of mental illness for most of my life. I have Borderline Personality Disorder. Lately my paranoia and impulsivity have been ruining my life. All aspects of it. My significant other is deciding whether he wants to stay with me or not because I have hurt him twice due to my extreme paranoia and distrust issues. I was abused when I was young and I have been abandoned, so I have lots of past demons there. Ok onto my question do you have any suggestions how I can relieve or prevent my paranoia from getting in the way of my life as much? Are there any coping skills or techniques that you know of that could help me in times of major worry and/or absent mindedness? I want to be able to trust and prevent these symptoms from further destroying all aspects of my life.
I am on medication which can only help so much. I write in a diary. I am in occasional counseling still waiting for the psychiatrist.
Anything else you can maybe recommend?
Thanks you so much!
Emily
I'm sorry you have to deal with this; no one deserves this kind of pain.
Counselling is definitely a good idea. The more, and the sooner, the better.
Have you explained to your SO that you recognise you have difficulties and that you're trying to overcome them? If you haven't, I'm sure it would probably help, and even if you have, you might want to remind him again.
Depending on how your behaviours are impacting you, you might want to take different action. If it's repeated thoughts, finding something else to focus on might help. I know it's not always possible, but if you can find something that takes your attention away from what you're worried about, it can help. I have various issues I struggle with, and when the thoughts are too intrusive, it helps to pick up my knitting needles. If it's a pattern where I have to count stitches, I can't really focus on anything else. Plus it keeps my hands busy and provides a physical outlet for tension.
Journaling is good; I'm glad that you're rocognising and acknowledging that the feelings are there. Being aware of them and admitting to them is the most important step.
Exercise is great. It gets endorphins flowing, so it's almost a natural anti-depressant, and it can help with anxiety as well. You'll feel better about yourself and you'll have another physical outlet.
You might want to look in your area to see if there are any support groups. If you attend one, however, be sure it will be beneficial. Many support groups are great, but some turn into little more than complaining and commiserating, and thus have no positive effect.
Try to recognise irrational thoughts and explore what might be causing them. For example, if you see your SO talking with another girl, and you automatically think he's going to leave you, ask yourself why. Is it that you don't feel pretty enough? Is it that you think you're boring? Then remind yourself of the positives. I'm sure your SO has said some really nice things about you, so try to keep them in mind.
I don't know a whole lot about BPD and PPD, unfortunately. All I can offer are vague suggestions. You might also want to look for self-help books for what you're dealing with.
But in all that I have read, it said that it's often difficult to get a patient to see that she does indeed have something that needs attention. I absolutely commend you for that.
I sincerely wish I could be more help, but I wish you the very best of luck. I truly believe that you can get through this.
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Thank you so much! I like your suggestions I will try them. The distracting myself is a good one. It's controlling my impulsive decisions in the moment that gets hard, but reasoning sounds like a good idea. That made me think of other stuff like stepping away from the situation to gather myself when I know I'm not in a rational stake of mind(eg. going to the bathroom where it's quiet or saying "I need a moment to think") Thanks again.
Awesome advice! Thumbs up!
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