Sometimes I Just Get So Sick And Tired Of Fighting Just To Survive.

Eichi Tenshouin from Ensemble Stars has NPD!

bpd culture is having a gut feeling that my life is going to prematurely end in suicide

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journal prompts you can use to improve your life

journaling is a really powerful habit that i love because it has helped me a lot in my transformation and healing process. it also offers us many benefits for our life. when we write down what we feel or what we want to achieve we are focusing and giving it much more clarity. through this magical practice, we can solve any type of situation or problem. It helps us to get rid of fears and anger. my favorite way is to ask myself questions that I can answer, this gives me more clarity and concentration. i recommend doing it on paper in fact i have my own notebook in which every day i carry out this wonderful practice.

✨ some of its benefits are:

helps reduce anxiety and depressive thoughts.

improves cognitive capacity, writing by hand activates many neural networks and, consequently, improves our cognitive capacity. In addition, it also emphasizes that this activity promotes prospective and working memory.

helps cultivate discipline

improves memory

it helps us to create habits moreover, writing on paper those "tasks" or habits that you want to integrate into your life, makes your brain catalog them as "important actions" and it is more likely that you fulfill them in the day. What happens is that your reticular active system (SAR) files them as actions that you must accomplish.

✨ journal prompts ideas

for the morning - have a great day and focus on the positive and what we want to accomplish today.

how do i want to feel today?

what should i focus on?

how do i need to act today to get closer to my best self?

what should i avoid?

what can i do to have a great day?

what would i like my day to be like?

today…(the things you will do, how you will feel)

today no…. (the things you want to avoid and not focus on)

for times of stress or anxiety.

how am i feeling?

what has caused me to feel this way?

have i felt this way on other occasions? is it a pattern i am repeating?

how would i like to feel?

what should i focus on?

what would make me feel good right now?

is there anything i can do right now to fix it?

how would i like to act the next time this situation happens?

how would my best version of me act in this situation?

is there anything I can do to make this better?

to become our best version

what would my best version look like?

what things should i change to get closer to my best version? (like thought patterns, habits…)

what can i do to get closer to becoming my best version?

what do i commit myself to every day to be closer to this version?

what would my desired life look like 6 months from now?

what would my desired life look like 1 year from now?

what are those thought patterns or limiting beliefs that prevent me from living my life the way i want?

what is it that makes me feel fearful or insecure? (make a list and next to it you can replace the negative affirmation with a positive one).

write down 5 positive affirmations of how you want your life to be from now on and commit to repeating them daily.

to focus on new goals or habits

what habits would i like to implement in my life from now on?

what habits do i need to remove from my life?

what would my desired routine look like?

what can i do to achieve this?

what would be my dream lifestyle?

what can i do to achieve it?

what are my goals?

how can i get closer to them?

do i feel capable?

if not, what is stopping me?

what can i do to change that thinking?

against negative thoughts

where does this thought come from?

how does it make me feel?

how would i like to feel about it?

what thoughts would i like to have?

from now on i commit myself to…(list of positive beliefs you will have from now on)

for the evening, to end your day on a high note and prepare for the next day.

3 things i am grateful for today

how did i feel today?

what can i improve tomorrow?

what should i focus on more tomorrow? (e.g. goals)

how would i like to feel today?

these are just a few examples, you can use them if they help you or invent your own, the important thing is that they help you feel better or whatever you want to achieve at that moment.

it is important to write every day, even if you feel good, write how your day was, what you want to improve, what you can do to make it better, anything! but this habit is very powerful and will improve your quality of life a lot.

NPD— facts vs myths

1. Grandiosity is obvious if you look for arrogance, overconfidence, selfishness, and entitlement.

Fact: Many narcissists try to hide their grandiosity because we’re ashamed of it and/or because we’re afraid of coming off as rude, self-centered, “crazy”, unlikable, etc.

2. Narcissists don’t feel shame, guilt, remorse, or empathy.

Fact: Some narcissists can empathize and feel guilt and remorse, some can’t, some feel it in fluctuations— but we tend to experience shame in excessive amounts and are usually more reactive to it than egotypicals, often expressing it through irritation and anxiety.

3. Narcissists rely solely on others to fuel their ego and keep them stable.

Fact: Narcissists develop highly complex defense mechanisms to protect their vulnerable self-esteem. This includes strategies that rely on others and strategies that don’t. I personally tend to find isolation safe, comforting, and vital to my mental health, and will reach out when I’m lonely or wanting to talk to the people I care about.

4. Narcissists only care about themselves and don’t care about what other people want or need.

Fact: Empathy ≠ care and narcissists are fully capable of trying to keep healthy relationships. Humans generally don’t want to go through life alone, and narcissists aren’t another species. We value our relationships and want to see people happy. Yes, it makes us feel good. Yes, it serves us in multiple ways. But that doesn’t make it any less genuine or meaningful. We want to keep peace in our environment and have people in our lives, like anyone would.

5. Narcissists love themselves and think they’re perfect.

Fact: Narcissists struggle deeply with perfectionism and internalized self-loathing. Our grandiosity is a self-deception. This means that our own minds are actively trying to drown out the self-loathing with self-importance so that we won’t notice how worthless we truly feel inside. Because of this, we may hold ourselves to much higher standards and are constantly criticizing ourselves through even the most passing of thoughts. Our thoughts can be a constant battle between “I know better” and “why are you being so stupid then?”

Revised Criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder

(designed by me, open to thoughts and commentary. this isn't an official revision, seeing as I'm not a contributor to the DSM. rather, the intent is to clarify the wording and produce a version that is less subjective and ambiguous.)

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The essential features of a personality disorder are impairments in personality (self and interpersonal) functioning and the presence of maladaptive traits. To diagnose narcissistic personality disorder, the following criteria must be met:

A. Significant impairments in personality functioning manifest by:

1. Impairments in self functioning (a or b):

a. Identity: Excessive reference to others for self-definition and self-esteem regulation; exaggerated self-appraisal may be inflated or deflated, or vacillate between extremes; emotional regulation mirrors fluctuations in self-esteem.

b. Self-direction: Goal-setting is based on gaining approval from others; personal standards are unreasonably high in order to see oneself as exceptional, or too low based on a sense of entitlement; often unaware of own motivations.

AND

2. Impairments in interpersonal functioning (a or b):

a. Empathy: Impaired ability to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others; excessively attuned to reactions of others, but only if perceived as relevant to self; over- or underestimate of own effect on others.

b. Intimacy: A sense of detachment in relationships; higher levels of emotional withdrawal associated with larger degrees of closeness; a tendency to focus on all aspects of the relationship except for the feelings and experiences of the other, unless perceived as relevant to self

B. Maladaptive traits characterized by an attempt to protect oneself from potential criticism, and from mistreatment or general life dissatisfaction associated with criticism, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. Grandiose sense of self (e.g., believes that they are inherently more powerful or capable than others in some way and may place an enormous pressure on themself to measure up to this self-image, believes that they are uniquely bad or inferior in some way, may struggle with paranoia due to an over-estimation of effect on others)

2. Attempt to regulate emotions and self-esteem through fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love, while avoiding real-life situations that conflict with this internal narrative

3. Association with or avoidance of people, groups, or institutions based upon an attempt to gain admiration or avoid criticism

4. Seeks out admiration in an attempt to regulate mood; may struggle with self-destructive behaviors (i.e., isolation, impulsivity, self-punishment, overexertion, etc.), intensely unpleasant emotions, or lack of motivation when they don't feel admired

5. An expectation of automatic agreement or compliance associated with feelings of security, i.e., an expectation that others will automatically agree or comply with them followed by confusion or distress if these expectations are unmet, attempts to attain closeness with others via agreeing and complying with everything the other person wants, or attempts to get the other person to agree and comply with everything they want

6. Periods of intense boredom or dissatisfaction resulting from a lack of connection with others; an attempt to regulate these emotions through material pursuits, personal gain, or self-destructive behaviors

7. May miss social cues or struggle with self-awareness due to a lack of empathy or a preoccupation with their self-image

8. Frequent comparisons to others, often followed by bitterness towards self or others for perceived differences in likability

9. Difficulties in emotional and behavioral regulation in response to perceived criticism or slights, as characterized by one (or more) of the following:

Fight response (e.g., intense anger towards self or others, self-punishment, hostility, destructive behavior)

Flight response (e.g., isolation, avoidance of the source of perceived criticism, frantic attempts to distract self)

Freeze response (e.g., brain fog, dissociation, major drops in motivation, not addressing or resolving the situation)

Fawn response (e.g., over-apologizing, heavily internalizing the perceived criticism, preoccupation with seeking approval or assurance)

C. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual's personality trait expression are relatively stable across time and consistent across situations.

D. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual's personality trait expression are not better understood as normative for the individual's developmental stage or socio-cultural environment.

E. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual's personality trait expression are not solely due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., severe head trauma).

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Changes I made and why:

1: Re-wrote the section for intimacy in 2B. Its original wording didn't address the actual problem present within the disorder, and instead focused on how others might perceive the symptom.

In people who have a history of trauma or who were otherwise denied the opportunity to form safe and healthy connections with others, it's a natural defense mechanism to fixate on oneself within a relationship:

Preoccupation with how they're perceived by the other person (Subconscious conditioning: Are they about to hurt me for something they dislike about me? If so, how can I change myself or their viewpoint of me to protect myself?)

Positive feelings, and feelings of closeness, prompted by feeling adored (Subconscious conditioning: We're all born with the need for human connection, but when we grow up being abused and neglected when caregivers dislike something about us, the only times we're safe to feel positive and close feelings with another person are when it's clear that they're happy with us)

Opportunity for personal gain potentially being one of the biggest factors in deciding whether or not to enter or remain in a relationship (Subconscious conditioning: If an unsafe caregiver isn't providing necessities or something that will help with self-soothing or happiness, then there's no point risking one's safety by interacting with them more than necessary)

Detachment from the other person (Subconscious conditioning: caring about* and having a personal interest in other people turned out to be exceedingly painful and potentially dangerous, and may have been used against us)

*I am not saying that detachment necessarily means not caring about the other person- just that we may be more prone to emotionally detaching or not being as preoccupied with the experiences of the other person.

In every relationship, there is a focus on the self, a focus on the other person, and a focus on the experiences that come with the relationship. The lack of focus on the other person doesn't mean that the other two focuses are abnormal or shouldn't exist; it simply means that someone may struggle with mutuality, usually due to past experiences with trauma. While this obviously can put a strain on relationships, it does not mean that someone is intentionally being exploitative, that they only care about the other person's well-being as long as they're benefiting them in some way, or even that they don't desire a genuinely close relationship with someone.

2: Rewrote the entire B section, and re-introduced elements from the DSM-IV. The B section in the DSM-V had a lot of subjective and ambiguous parts, and lacked focus on the actual issue and the various ways that issue could present. I also changed the wording from "pathological personality traits" to "maladaptive traits".

3: Changed or rewrote symptoms listed in section B to be less subjective and to place the emphasis on how the disorder affects the person who has it, as opposed to how others may perceive the symptoms. I also expanded it somewhat to include variations in how the root issue may present.

BPD Acceptance & Awareness Flag

While there is a popular black and white BPD flag, I wanted to create one with more colour to show the depth of BPD. I was inspired by the NPD Awareness Flag by npdsafe, and the alternate NPD flag by npdflag to make this. I followed the amount of stripes the NPD flag has as to show solidarity between cluster B disorders.

Stripe Meanings:

(#000000) Black： Duality, Emptiness, and Support —

Black and White both represent the duality of BPD. Along with that, black represents feellings of being void, hollow and emptiness. It also represents support for people with BPD.

(#711f49) Purple-Red： Negative Intense Emotions —

Purple-Red, Dark Magenta, represents intense negative emotions, both internal and external. This includes overwhelming feelings of rejection, feelings of abandonment, anger, and more.

(#e24069) Pink-Red： Positive Intense Emotions —

Pink-Red, Lipstick Pink, represents intense positive emotions, both internal and external. This includes feelings of europhoria, love, healing, wellbeing, and more.

(#d6cce8) Light Lavender： Fear and Dissociation —

Light Lavender, Haze, represents fear, fear of abandonment, paranoia, dissociation, loss of sense of identity, feeling out of touch with reality, derealisation, and depersonalisation.

(#ada1d3) Dark Lavender：Solidarity and Remembrance. —

Dark Lavender, Periwinkle, represents solidarity between people with BPD and other cluster B disorders. It also serves as a reminder of the different ways BPD presents itself in different people. It also serves rememberance of those with BPD who have passed away.

(#ffffff) White：Duality and Recovery —

White and Black both represent the duality of BPD. Along with that, white represents recovery, and that people with BPD are not hopeless.

Cluster Bs.. I love you. Do you know how awesome you are?? HPD peeps.. so flamboyant and interesting. And talented!! I'm legit jealous of how well you command a room. And your style? OMG. Amazing. And BPD babes... so full of feeling. Your emotional range is astounding. And your profound ability to love, even if only briefly.. the stuff of legends... song... poetry. NPDs... your confidence, your flair, your sense of humor... just magical. But even more impressive is how you know what you want.. and you get it! So admirable. If only everyone could be so bold! ASPD homies, your detachment and aloofness is so, so cool. You are smart and fascinating... and anyone who is lucky enough to be seen as worthy of your time is truly blessed. Your logic is unparalleled. And you give the best advice. And your taste in art and music is incredible.

I know the world only wants to focus on your negative traits, your flaws, your weirdness. Your "diagnostic criteria." It's unfair. You're so much more than that. You are more than the sum of your worst moments. You're so much greater than all the mistakes you've made while you were suffering alone and unsupported.

Just remember. You are the light and the darkness. Yin and yang. The whole human package. The whole human experience. You are... complete.

I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you exist. You truly make this world a richer, fuller, better place.

Never forget that.

Let this millennium vow resound to your side

Even if I can’t return to being a spirit

I won’t be swaying from this decision I’ve made anymore

“I am in love with you”

「it's daylight again, and you

look like i've failed you 」✧✦

recover your power and shine again ✨

sometimes we get stuck in situations/mistakes of the past that do not allow us to move forward in our path and distance us even more from our goals. we think that it is not easy to get out of difficult situations and of course, it is not, because we have that thought, but we can do it. the most important thing is that we must know that no one external is going to help us in this, only us. there are many people who have been going to therapy for years and it doesn't help them because they don't do their part, they continue to live in the past and have a bad image of themselves. ask yourself, do you deserve this? do you deserve to continue in this situation? is it doing you any good? whatever situation you are in, no matter how difficult you think it may seem, you have to understand that it is your perception of how things happen, if you change that perception your world will change. if you are still in the negative, do you really think it is worth it? you probably believe that there is no other way, that life is cruel or hard, but i repeat, it is all part of the perspective in which we look at the world and the things that happen to us. so the first step you have to take is to open yourself to change.

get out of the role of victim, you are responsible for your actions, but don't blame yourself, at that time you were not aware of everything you know how to heal yourself. always take responsibility for yourself. if something someone else does bothers you, you have the power to take it away from them.

overcome the past, don't worry about the future, and live in the now. the past no longer exists and your future is not yet created, be aware that if you continue with negative thoughts you will continue to attract negative situations to your life, but on the contrary, if your thoughts become more positive and your way of life changes everything will improve, i guarantee it.

related to the previous point, do shadow work, write in a diary or wherever those situations that hurt you and let them go, they no longer resonate with you and are not part of the person you want to be.

start creating yourself from 0, think again about how you would like to be and what path you would like to take from now on, leave behind all those habits that no longer benefit you, and focus on the things that make you well.

cut with toxic environments, do not keep talking to people who make you bad and you know they are not good for your growth, those who always criticize you or make you less.

change your internal dialogue and negative thoughts. what is it that makes you think this way? whatever it is, you must stop giving power to those thoughts that haunt you and make you feel bad. every time you detect a negative thought say "stop" and change it for a positive one. if you constantly repeat to yourself that you are worthless, repeat to yourself i am enough, i am more than enough, i can do anything. you also have the option to repeat affirmations or write them on a piece of paper.

change your mentality towards life, stop thinking that it is hard, bad or unfair, think the opposite, that you are a very lucky person, that everything always goes well for you, that life is wonderful, that everything is wonderful in your life, that you are surrounded by good things! do not focus on the negative, because what you focus on expands, whether it is bad or good.

be grateful, either by being aware of where you are, be thankful for everything you have overcome, for every little thing in your day-to-day life, and be proud of yourself too!

new habits, change your lifestyle and incorporate healthier habits into your life little by little. start eating better, start having a schedule, start exercising, start an activity you always wanted to do, learn to spend time alone, and get to know yourself. focus on this, it will keep you motivated and entertained throughout your day.

don't react to what bothers you, ignore it and focus on those things that are beneficial to you, don't put energy into situations you can't control.

understand the difficult situations as proof, thanks to that today you are a stronger person and you have learned something new that will help you in the future.

practice meditation, it will help you focus on the present moment and keep you much more focused on your goals, it will also help you relax your mind and body in stressful situations. make meditation a daily habit in your life.

start your journey of self-love from here, understanding that you are a valuable person and that whatever happened to you in the past doesn't matter anymore, let it go, and focus on all the good things that life has and that you are about to create.