Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder: How It Works, Techniques, & Effectiveness

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is centered on observing one’s experiences, emotions, and thoughts from a neutral perspective. This present-centered awareness can be achieved through meditation, walking, eating, yoga, or even coloring. Most commonly, the breath is used as an anchor, providing a connection to the here and now.²

When we slow down to notice our breathing and let ourselves be curious, we allow our thoughts to settle. As we detect our thoughts, we can choose to engage or let them go. By letting go of thoughts and returning attention to the experience of mindful breathing, we regain autonomy over our feelings. We’re no longer driven by our emotions and can choose what to think about.

What BPD Symptoms Can Mindfulness Help With?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is defined by emotional instability and insecurity. Mindfulness can help someone with BPD get perspective on how to react to these internal and external symptoms of BPD. When they remember to take a breath and observe the present moment before reacting or responding, they can objectively view their emotions and thoughts about the situation first.^{3, 4, 5}

4 Mindfulness Techniques for Borderline Personality Disorder

Mindfulness is versatile; its methods can be employed as needed to assist in de-escalating intense situations. Techniques like Five Things, mindful walking, observing your thoughts, and practicing positive affirmations can be used on a more regular basis for subtle, long-term shifts in emotional management. If you forget to use these techniques, be kind to yourself. Self-criticism is a negative technique and will only make symptoms worse.

Here are four mindfulness techniques for BPD:

1. Five Things Grounding Technique

When you feel flooded by emotions or thoughts, take a moment to focus on your senses. This technique is most useful for de-escalation. If you’re feeling highly reactive, anxious, angry, or some other intense emotion, use Five Things (known as the 54321 Method) to help ground you and find stability.

Identifying the need to employ this technique can be difficult when emotions overtake you. Find a way to remind yourself of this exercise, such as putting a note on your phone or a sticky note somewhere you’ll see it regularly.

Here are the steps of Five Things:

• Find five things you can see. Name them.
• Find four things you can touch. Touch them.
• Find three things you can hear. Listen.
• Find two things you can smell. Smell them.
• Find one thing you can taste. Taste it.

2. Mindful Walking

Sometimes, creating physical space can be a more tangible way to approach emotional scenarios. Start with a deep breath and notice your body objectively, allowing it to exist as only a collection of muscles, organs, and tissue. Think about the muscles you will activate to take that first step. Will you start on your right or left leg? When you are ready, intentionally take a step.

Begin slowly and notice the details during your walking meditation. Feel the way your clothes move and how your feet feel inside your shoes. Notice your breathing as you walk, too. Practice scanning your body and being aware of everything that goes into each movement. Pay attention to what sounds you hear either as a result of your steps or in the environment.

This activity requires your entire body and all of your attention. If you notice your mind wandering while you walk, there is no need to judge or criticize. That’s your mind doing exactly what it is intended to do. Gently bring your attention back to the experience of walking.

3. Observe Your Thoughts

Another way to practice mindfulness is to notice your thinking and differentiate it from yourself: “Watch” but don’t engage. There’s no need to follow thoughts, see where they go, or interact with them at all. Simply notice judgments, anxieties, daydreams, and plans as they float by. If a thought triggers an emotion, note that it occurred, don’t engage, and watch it fade away.

Finding objectivity drains the power from thoughts and emotions, allowing them to simply be a function of your mind. They are not in control. Practice this method of mindfulness regularly, preferably when calm. If emotions are high and thoughts are racing, it may be important to practice one of the more grounding exercises first.

4. Repeat Affirmations

As you practice differentiating between yourself and your thoughts and emotions, you can also mindfully choose what to think about. If you have the choice, picking something positive can be helpful. In mindful dialogue, people are invited to think before speaking: Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind?

If you notice self-deprecating or distrusting thoughts repeating, try to choose thoughts that are encouraging, uplifting, and rational instead. Select a mantra or affirmation like, “I can choose to be kind to myself (and others).” Repeat this silently (or out loud). Doing so not only strengthens its meaning but also provides an anchor to help get through a moment of insecurity.

Benefits of Mindfulness for BPD Symptoms

The first benefit of mindfulness for BPD is that it’s free. It also pairs well with other well-being efforts. Plus, it can be done anywhere at any time. However, reading about mindfulness isn’t enough to build a strong foundation. Fortunately, there are meditation apps and videos available online to help you learn.

Additionally, practicing mindfulness can result in immediate improvements. When you take an intentional deep breath or notice your senses, you can physically feel your body settle. It’s important to remember that the long-term benefits of mindfulness take time. Mindfulness won’t make BPD go away, but it can help make it more manageable.

Which Therapies Use Mindfulness for BPD?

Many therapists employ mindfulness techniques in their counseling, particularly for clients with BPD. Some of them may not even realize that their treatment methods are mindful because it’s been embedded in theories like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for BPD and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) for BPD.⁶

A healthy relationship between a client with BPD and their therapist is critical. It can be helpful to look for therapists who have specific experience working with someone with BPD, although all types of mental health clinicians can technically treat it. You can consult with your primary care provider or a trusted loved one for a referral, or you use an online therapist directory to search for profiles that list expertise with BPD and/or personality disorders.^{7, 8}

Final Thoughts

Take a deep breath, feel your thoughts slow down, and invest your attention into the experience of breathing. This resource is here whenever you need it. Consider the use of mindfulness in addition to therapy for BPD or general mental health maintenance. If you’re curious, consider looking into guided meditations and/or seeking out a mental health professional.