How can individuals with borderline personality disorder practice self-help during an episode?
Nov 17, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Zhang Baohua
Introduction
Self-help methods for individuals with borderline personality disorder during episodes generally include quickly removing themselves from triggering environments, using breathing exercises to stabilize emotions, writing down and organizing their feelings, and using pre-identified comfort objects to alleviate anxiety. If the episode is triggered by a specific situation or interpersonal interaction, they should immediately leave the current environment and go to a quiet, familiar place, such as their own room or a secluded area in a park.
When experiencing an episode, individuals with borderline personality disorder can use several self-help strategies, including quickly removing themselves from triggering environments, using breathing techniques to stabilize emotions, writing down feelings to gain clarity, using pre-arranged comfort items to reduce anxiety, and proactively reaching out to trusted individuals for support. The details are as follows:
1. Quickly remove yourself from the triggering environment: If an episode is triggered by a specific situation or interpersonal interaction, immediately leave the current setting and go to a quiet, familiar space, such as your own room or a secluded spot in a park. Removing yourself from the trigger reduces ongoing emotional stimulation, helps prevent impulsive behaviors, and creates a buffer zone for emotional recovery.
2. Use breathing techniques to stabilize emotions: Practice slow diaphragmatic breathing—inhale deeply through the nose, allowing the abdomen to expand for 3 seconds, then exhale slowly while contracting the abdominal muscles over 5 seconds. Repeat this cycle several times. Focusing on the breathing rhythm helps divert attention from negative emotions, regulates the autonomic nervous system, and reduces intense emotional fluctuations such as anxiety and anger.
3. Write down your feelings to gain clarity: Use a smartphone or notebook to record your current emotions and thoughts without worrying about logic or structure. Honestly write things like "I'm terrified of being abandoned" or "I want to throw something." Putting abstract emotions into words makes them more concrete, helping patients clarify their thoughts and reduce the sense of emotional chaos and loss of control.
4. Use pre-selected comfort items to ease anxiety: Prepare comforting objects in advance that evoke a sense of safety, such as a soft stuffed toy, calming music you often listen to, or a familiar scarf. During an episode, touch, listen to, or use these items. Comfort items can activate positive sensory memories and quickly convey signals of safety, thereby reducing panic and distress.
5. Proactively contact a trusted person for help: Identify one or two trusted individuals in advance—such as family members, close friends, or your therapist—and when an episode occurs, send a message or make a call saying, for example, "I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now and need someone with me." Receiving timely emotional support reduces feelings of isolation, prevents extreme thinking patterns, and allows access to rational guidance.
Patients can practice these self-help techniques regularly in daily life so they become automatic responses over time. If during an episode there are urges for self-harm or suicide, or uncontrollable aggressive behaviors, it is essential to immediately call emergency services or go to the nearest hospital emergency department to avoid delays in receiving professional intervention.
