BPDRecovery.com: Forums

Taken directly from Putting the Pieces Together, here are some of the general BPD-oriented homework exercises listed in Chapter 12. These homework exercises are optional (they are NOT required for your participation or continued membership with the BPDR Forums.) The homework need not be posted in public nor shared in any way. The exercises are simply posted as a way to provide some of the recovery-oriented work that may be of assistance in your journey toward healthy, happy living.

• You’ve read the poem titled “The Cliff.” Spend some time and reread the piece. Then meditate on the words you’ve read.
  [+] How do they make you feel?
  [+] Can you envision yourself standing at the edge of that cliff?
  [+] Do you see the connection between the storyline of the poem and the choice you must make between continuing in Borderline behavior and seeking a healthy, happy life?
• Have you ever done or tried anything new? Maybe you taught yourself to ski, or ride a motorcycle or moved to a new state without having a job lined up. Reflect on those times you’ve tried new things.
  [+] How well did those things work out? Were you a master at the activity the first time you attempted it? Did you try again?
  [+] Did you give up on the activity? (Do you still have the skis in the garage, collecting dust?) If so, what were you feeling as you quit? What might you have done differently in preparation for your first attempt at the activity?
• Are you able to recognize any abandonment issues in your life? Who do you think abandoned you?
  [+] Think intellectually for a while. What do you think their “stuff” was in relation to their decision to separate themselves from you? I encourage you to work on forgiving those people for their decisions. They have and had the right to their own boundaries, just as you yourself do now.
• What comes to mind when you think about forgiveness?
  [+] Does it sound scary? Peaceful? Why?
• Picture your life as if none of those bad things happened. How does it feel? Are you happy? Carefree?
• Do you believe it possible to achieve that feeling of happiness and contentment despite the things that were inflicted upon you? Why or why not?