by the fireside I fall in love again and this time I’m sure because before I met him I knew I was enough before I met him I knew I was complete before he was even a thought in my mind he knew all about me before I knew anything about him he’s read my poetry and nothing I’ve written scares him to him I’m more than a pretty girl to him I’m more than my diagnosis to him I’m more than my chaotic past because unlike the others, he sees my humanity he sees my perseverance and resilience and to him, I’ve become his everything
no you’re not even here but you’re doing my head in-Gracie Abrams
1)don’t try to change me 2)don’t try to save me 3)don’t put me up on an altar 4)don’t try to dim my light 5)don’t tell me you love me unless you mean it 6)don’t get mad when I make you into my muse
I fall in love and obsessed over these concepts over who I should be, over who I should love, over who I should mirror I read and read books on BPD, mental health, and trauma constantly I take advice from influencers, poets, and psychologists on social media Seriously thinking this is how I heal, this is how I become healthy but that’s a lie- while everything I do helps me I need to listen to my intuition more I need to trust myself more and acknowledge I’m doing enough and come to an understanding I am on my heroine’s journey that’s unique only to me honor my truth within me, accept it, and that’s how I begin to really heal
this could be and my lonely chicken nugget but he’s too scared to date me…no idea why..lol
On days when I’m hopeful about love- my laugh is lighter, my smile is brighter, my thoughts are the color of the sky thinking of the endless possibilities of how I’ll be loved and the many places me and my future somebody will go- while my cringy playlists play on the car radio and the many discussions or fights that might happen because one of us said the wrong thing or one of us won’t admit we got lost I”m still hopeful though keeping in mind that conflict is also part of how we’ll evolve
me in feb of 2023…trying to reclaim the softness in me
I’m graduating from writing about revenge and everyone who has harmed me I’m switched this narrative from woman scorned and full of spite To a woman reborned opened to love and joy in life While it’s fun to be petty and mean It’s better for me to reclaim the corny romantic in me the one I’ve kept hidden for 18 months the one who cries at the end of rom coms the one who’s desperate to fall in love again to continue this narrative about how I’m in love with my solitude no longer suits me when I have a universe of love to give
for a long time I had given up on love- thinking why should I even try If I screw it up each and every time but lately I feel myself lighter, happier- and full of hope that even after my disastrous love history That’s still a world of romance left to experience and explore There’s still more muses to write poetry about- my love story didn’t end with an electronic pink slip or being blocked from my whatevership my love story will start over again with someone who’s brave and strong enough to handle me- and can’t imagine his life without me
From February to July, I’ve continued to maintain the healthy coping skills I’ve acquired in therapy and have made even more progress. I started group DBT therapy in April and that’s also helped me tremendously. Listening to members in that group talk about their issues has made me gain a lot of perspective. I’ve also had a few obstacles along the way of course. In May, I upped my dosage on one of my meds that ended up with me having a major depressive episode, here’s a blog post about that:
A year later, I can honestly say that I’ve been successful in managing my emotions in a much better and healthier way. My growth has been phenomenal in many areas of my life due to my hard work. I’ve had incredible support from my therapists, medical providers, friends, followers, and family who’ve helped facilitate my growth by encouraging me and giving me the space I needed to be who I needed to be at different parts of this process. Sometimes that was a complete emotional mess, sometimes that was an angry and salty poet, sometimes that was a cringy mom or a moody coworker. Restarting this blog and creating content for it has been instrumental in my healing process and has been a great outlet for the inspiration and creativity I’ve had during this time. Another beneficial thing I’ve done is simplified my life by letting go of anything that doesn’t serve me. I keep my life simple with work, kids, friends, family, and writing and this is the right combination for me to maintain my emotional stability. I’ve learned to prioritize my mental health above everything else because the consequences for me and everyone are too great for me not to do so. I understand now that the “old me” before her diagnosis was trying to have “everything” and well, that extended my emotional bandwidth to the point it was detrimental to my mental health to the point that I constantly lived in a flux of emotional dysregulation. I don’t blame anybody or even myself; I did not have the knowledge or awareness at the time to do any better.
I’m not completely where I want to be because I have two areas that I still have problems with: -sticking to my boundaries especially when I feel pressure from others to bend to their will and desires -my cognitive distortions which include black and white thinking and thinking in absolutes I’ve lived with these cognitive distortions since I can remember, and it’s been really hard to break these unhealthy thinking patterns but I’m working on it.
There is a lot more to say about this journey, but I’ll save that for later throughout this year. To conclude, here are a few thoughts: To have an immense amount of progress and growth this year; I had to learn to be brutally honest with myself about things I had been lying to myself about for too long. I had a tendency to blame others when I felt terrible about my life. This year, I changed that pattern and I had to learn to hold a mirror to myself and take accountability for any harm I’ve done to myself and others and that was extremely difficult to do. It also meant facing some of my biggest fears and insecurities and that was fucking hard. Sometimes it was so much work, I wanted to give up but I didn’t. And now I’m here, at a place where I’m truly happy and content with myself and my life. And to not have major depressive episodes every other week where I’m stuck in this rut of misery feels like a type of freedom I can’t describe. To manage hard emotions like anger and sadness without it affecting my whole week or my whole day is something I always felt was impossible until now. And while I am thankful for everyone that’s been helpful in my journey, I feel the most gratitude to myself and my determination and resilience. I had always known myself but just this year I’ve finally started to understand myself and finally felt a sense of freedom to be who I really am without a need to filter out the crazy or hard parts that make me the complicated and resilient human that I am. A year later, I no longer allow life to happen to me and feel powerless and have an immense need for validation from others. Now I’m a person who lives a life with intention and purpose for my own betterment.
Video taken 5/15/22, 5/22/22, 7/3/22- To get a place of emotional stability and permanence has been worth all of the tears, notebooks and journals full of self reflection, poems, essays, etc, miles walked or run, and countless hours of therapy. Let’s see where I am in another year! Excited about my future! My new concept map 😍🥰
On thursdays, I cry and cry because the loneliness gets to me because I want to belong to somebody, anybody because being an independent woman gets exhausting but then I remember I’m incompatible with love And by myself I’m enough and a relationship feels like handcuffs But then on Fridays, a sliver of hope walks into my DMs And a random man fills me up with compliments And I almost forget how love is a torment and I almost find hope again thanks to instagram
Existing was this never ending sorrow Existing was a “what the point of it all” status Existing was a horrible and exhausting nightmare I couldn’t want to wake up from But now.. Existing is welcoming the excitement of the morning sun Existing is looking forward to my next chapter Existing is a hopeful and lovely dream I’m currently living in
My last year in my 30s ended up with me being an essential worker during a pandemic while being a mom of three and being involved in two different romantic liaisons. I could look back on what I have not accomplished in my life and be sad but instead I’ll focus on my growth and my goals for the next year. I’ve made a lot of progress this year both financially and personally. I’ve improved my credit score by 100 points by working 2 jobs and paying debt off. Also for the first time in my adult life I’m in a healthy romantic relationship with a wonderful man. This time last year I didn’t think either was possible and at times I don’t feel like I deserve all of the good fortune in my life. As I look forward to my next year and my new decade, I hope to really focus on becoming a confident driver, submit my writing everywhere and try to get published, and continue to work my two jobs to save up to buy 2 houses. I’m kind of excited for how the next decade looks like. My thirties taught me I can survive what I once thought would not be survivable. During my thirties, I felt myself merely surviving. In this next decade, I look forward to thriving.
Iwrote this in December of 2002 about John. I had figured out that John wasn’t for me but I prayed to God that maybe he was a preview of the love I hoped for.
my truth
Perhaps you’re not the man God meant to send me But the fantasy I’ve always dreamed of Someone so innocent And passionate at the same time So sheltered from the world But you still contain a fountain of wisdom Beyond your 23 years I know already not to make too much of this I just have one wish That one day I’ll meet someone like you again in my future And he will be the one Forever meant for me
Life on the BPD 