I'm having a sort of weak moment... I got invited to a New Year's Eve party with a friendly acquaintance. I've known of her for probably a little over a year, and I've come to find out that she has BPD. I feel really nervous. Ever since she invited me, I knew it would be good for me to go and try to experience an unfamiliar crowd, but I have been having heart palpitations all afternoon now. I am going to go because I am so tired of limiting myself, but I wish I could just shake the fear! I think I have serious katagelophobia (fear of ridicule and embarrassment). I'm so tired of draining myself with unnecessary fearfulness. Does anyone have any advice on how to overcome this? It inhibits my life pretty much daily.
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My advice would be to quit beating yourself up. Try not to think about it so much. be natural and have a great time!
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I ended up having a really good time. The girl who invited me has the same sense of humor as me and we bonded over the stress of our BPD behaviors. It wasn't a large party like I was imagining, just a small group of people. I tried to be as natural as I could, which is hard when you feel like you're lacking in a "real" identity, but I'm proud of myself for trying. The less I thought about needing to behave a particular way to be accepted, the more I enjoyed myself, so that was really good advice, Alllitup! I think I am going to make a new, genuine friend after tonight. I hope you had a great New Year's Eve!
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@nosilaurus I’m really happy to hear that you ended up having a really good time! @Allitup - great advice!
Wow good for you! So happy it worked out well for you.
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