So I went to therapy Friday and learnt something about myself that was quite a relief. See, I've always had this fear hat I had Borderline Personality Disorder as well, but what I learnt made it quite clear that I don't. My therapist said that if she could rename Borderline, she'd call it "invalidated childhood." While I did, indeed, have an invalidated childhood, I developed a skill that Borderlines do not. I learnt how to validate myself.
This definitely explains why I'm not one to fish for compliments or scramble for attention. Yes, I feel ignored a lot, but I'm not constantly seeking attention or validation.
The biggest reason I was relieved to find out that I don't have Borderline is because I don't need to add anything to my list of diagnoses. I've already got five. That's plenty for one person. Nobody needs to hog all the diagnoses. Let others feel special too, right?
This has been weighing on me for a few years, so Friday was like lifting the world off my shoulders. I guess this will teach me to not read the DSM-5 and self-diagnose. Nobody should. Let the professionals do that. Lessons learned.
In other news: Christmas Eve is also the first day of Hanukkah. So whichever you celebrate, hope it's a happy one!
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