you're alright, you're okay

DNI ☆ About ☆ Requests ☆ Ko-Fi Trauma recovery blog, with resources and positivity! This blog is for anyone who has gone through trauma or has PTSD.

[ptsdsafe]

The BPD flag, based off of community input! (Version 2.0)

I ran a poll with over 100+ BPD participants, as well as asking many people close to me with BPD, what they would like to see in a BPD flag, and the results were used to create this flag you see now! You may refer to it as the 'community BPD flag', if you wish.

The meanings (see image on the left) as well as the colors (see image on the right for the exact colors) were chosen based off of what people with BPD most associate with their disorder, as well as what they believed was most important to be represented in a BPD flag.

Version 2.0 was created due to accessibility issues with the original version of the design with the hand of Eris.

This BPD flag is inclusive of those who are self-diagnosed with BPD (assuming, of course, that the proper amount of research was done).

This flag is free to use, with no credit needed, although you can tag me or DM me in any creations made with this flag! I would always love to see!

Please feel free to leave any thoughts, comments or concerns you have about this flag in the comments/reblogs of this post, or feel free to DM me. I am always happy to change this flag to make it more accessible or otherwise more suited to represent the BPD community!

I hope you enjoy! ❤️ Version 1.0 of the flag is under the cut!

[heartcountry]

there was no perfect path. you did not get punished. your life did not unravel when you made a left turn. the memory will always be there. you can visit whenever you want. there is no alternate timeline where you made a better choice and got a happier ending. you were a little girl chasing the ice cream truck, playing hopscotch, swinging and aiming for the never ending blue. yes, the grief was waiting up ahead. but so was the miracle of saturdays in a car headed wherever you wanted to go. enough sky to wrap around every wound. friends who, despite your perennial bouts of silence, kept an ear close at all times.

[pilotofstarshipfables]

Some things I use to sooth the body when the somatic flashbacks hit

Heating Pad: Put it anywhere on the body where it relieves pain for you. Bonus points if the cover has some something nice on it. Ours has unicorns 🦄

Sippy cups with a soft opening: gives me something to bite on without the suffocation other oral stim toys sometimes give me. This is also a good one if you have jaw pain. 🍼

Your favorite candy: Helps ground and dispels taste flashbacks 🍬

Soft blanket: If you have to feel unwell at least the bed can be a pleasant sensory experience 🛏️

Calming music: Here’s a playlist to get you started but feel free to do whatever regulates you best

Flashcards with affirmations and grounding techniques: These should be kept wherever you are most likely to be when you experience flashbacks, eg. purse, nightstand 📝

Stuffed toys: Yes even adults can benefit from this! And if you age regress or are a system this will help the little ones feel safe 🧸 Hugging them distracts from other more unpleasant sensations

Ice packs: These can help ground you. Can also help with trauma related pain flairs 🧊

Most importantly remember that you will get through this. The sun always rises, the pain always lets go eventually. You deserve to live and see brighter days 💜

[brytning]

I saw a post the other day about how difficult mindfulness meditation can be, especially for people who are neurodivergent, and OP was frustrated that their therapist never recommended anything else. There are many opportunities to bring mindfulness, focus, and intention to activities you already like! Learning about flow state has been a real eye-opener for me.

[damazcuz]

Every post about intrusive thoughts needs at least 10 people per day to reblog it derailing and saying "it's ok to have intrusive thoughts so long as they're not about violence or sexual acts but instead perhaps a witch trying to solve the disappearance of her neighbour's cat in a small village in the Alps..."

[byjove]

“I wasn’t an easy child”/“I was a bad child and hard to love” is such an upsetting thing to hear people say. I used to believe it about myself before I got my autism diagnosis and reevaluated my childhood behavior and realized most of it wasn’t born out of a desire to be a difficult little monster. but even if you were an evil child on purpose 24/7, it’s fucked up that your parents/caregivers made you feel that that was just an innate part of you, a literal actual child.

[lesbian-rook]

People will get so analytical talking about themes of child abuse in media until it comes to CSA, then suddenly "it's not that deep" or "you're reaching" or worse "don't be an edgelord"

[yeehawpim]

I can be shaped by more than the things that hurt me

[ptsdsafe]

Do you mind if I make pins of your bpd flag and sell it? (And do you want credit if so)

Feel totally free! Credit would be very much appreciated, yes!

[xxacidnekoxx]

[sunflorally]

so you dated the wrong person and learned a hard lesson. you chose the wrong major and had to start over again. you cherished a friend who backstabbed you. it sucks, but it’s also going to work out. that’s life; you learn, hurt, love, cry, laugh, and keep going. you experience setbacks and you grow and it’s all okay.

[laptoparmageddon]

[traumasurvivors]

How to Make a Self-Care Box

One of the main coping mechanisms that I recommend people do is creating a self-care box. In times of crisis, stress or any sort of overwhelming emotion, it can be hard to figure out what to do.

My favourite post that I referenced on my site about making a self-care box got taken down, so I made my own. 

(This article links to my website which has no pop ups and you don’t need to sign up for to read posts. It’s as simple and safe as possible! Please consider hearting the article on the webpage?)

[aropride]

i dont “have ptsd” that’s all just the wizard’s curse

[aropride]

the wizard is my mother but that's not relevant

[thexspiral-deactivated20240810]

Parts of PTSD that no one talks about

Not knowing who to be angry at.

Being angry with yourself for letting it happen even if there was no way to stop it.

Crying and not knowing why.

Flashbacks where nothing bad is happening but it feels bad.

Denying that it ever even happened because your brain doesn't want to process it.

Wanting to go back to it so it feels "bad enough."

Intentionally triggering yourself to feel like your suffering is real.

Being angry all the time at every little thing.

Getting triggered by minor things and then being treated poorly because of your reaction to said trigger.

Hating change.

Being scared to sleep because you know you'll have nightmares.

Struggling to find hobbies that you enjoy.

Feeling like you're barely human.

Struggling to be positive about anything at all.

Feeling like you may be manipulating people around you into liking you.

Feeling like no one believes you because you barely even believe yourself.

Treating your past self as a "dead" version of you and feeling like a completely different person.

Being tired all the time, both physically and mentally.

Feeling like if you talk about it, your safety will be at risk.

Feeling the need to hide your trauma from everyone, including professionals there to help them.

Being paranoid everyone is going to hurt you.

Being physically incapable of talking about it.

Feeling like you're stuck reliving your trauma.

Having to skip classes or work days because of flashbacks.

Mourning your past self.

Wanting to hurt others so they feel what you feel.

Wondering why it had to be you and it wasn't someone else.

Chronic pain.

Clinging to "safe people."

Not being able to find a solid sense of identity.

Forcing yourself to be around people who trigger you for the sake of politeness.

[pathologising]

ok well im going to build a good future for myself whether i like it or not

[greelin]

people when trauma victims act traumatized especially in a way that is unpalatable to them because it involves lashing out and unpredictable moods and having boundary issues rather than just being demure, sad, and consumable