Is it Better for Someone with BPD to Change Careers or Stay in the Same Profession?

People with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) oftentimes get to a point where they feel stuck or directionless. People with BPD are known to often change career paths due to their interests and values frequently changing. This can leave them feeling hopeless and frustrated.

Are we supposed to follow our gut feeling when we decide what life path to take? Do we let life happen to us, and we'll see it from there? Or should we have it all mapped out?

How do you choose what you want to do in life when you have BPD?

Finding what you want in life can be a difficult quest if you're not in a stable mindset. Someone with BPD has very impulsive desires, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. They act out of highs and lows, which is exhausting. One moment you may want to build a city, and moments later, you want to be left alone on this planet.

The interests and values of someone with BPD change frequently and therefore feel the need to change career paths. As a result, they frequently find themselves stuck in a cycle in which they can never master a profession or keep the same job.

Shorter-term plan paths with multiple options along the way are probably the best for someone with BPD. It may be hard to convince yourself or others that changing tracks so frequently is in your best interests. But forcing yourself to stay on a career path that eventually will make you drop out or burn out is far more harmful to your life and health.

Additionally, if you can find peace within yourself, you will have an easier time finding what you're looking for in life. It doesn't matter if we work hard or do nothing if we don't know what we want for ourselves.

If you want to know what you are looking for in life, it's good to have a plan. However, we try to be in control of everything, which is a bad thing. Life is all about balance and getting comfortable with discomfort.

Your mind shouldn't be clouded by emotion while you are trying to make decisions in life. Emotions are temporary, but decisions are ever-lasting. Build yourself a stable mind and body before making decisions. Focus on eating healthy, having a good sleep routine, and keeping your body moving.

You're the only one who can figure out what you want in life. You can only find it if you look deep inside yourself without fighting your demons left and right.

Read more on What is a Good Job for someone with Borderline Personality Disorder?

A message from MentalCurve

I've always dealt with not knowing what to do in life. Since I was a child, I pondered about our existence. I was already looking for a sense of purpose at that age which led me to be busy with many deep subjects. It also was the first reason why I fell into depression and had suicidal thoughts as a child. I was very convinced that our lives were meaningless. I didn't want to get up, go to work, eat, sleep, and then repeat the process every day. At the time, I didn't even have to worry about work since I was around 7-8 years old, but it still affected me knowing that this would be my potential future.

When I was a bit older, these thoughts were always in the back of my mind. I never knew what I was doing at whatever point in life, which made me feel like an outcast.

Since my interests and values change frequently, which is common for people with BPD, it has always been hard to maintain the idea of what I would want in life. It results in often swapping professions which is why it's hard to become an expert at something. I've learned over the years that if I stick with something for a longer period, instead of quitting when it finally gets off the ground, I have the determination to create something big. However, this oftentimes led me to burnout.

What is worthy to note is that I'm dealing with ADHD, a chronic feeling of loneliness and emptiness, the feeling of always needing to be productive, and Borderline Personality Disorder. It's no surprise that I'm facing difficulty with deciding what to do in life. I'm distressed by mechanisms from the past and clouded by emotions for the future. Instead of seeking what I want in life, I should work on the problems that I'm currently facing.