DSM5 – Pathological personality traits in negative affectivity – b. Anxiousness: feeling fearful, apprehensive, or threatened by uncertainty;
Uncertainty can be a difficult trait for those of us with BPD. The problem is related to anxiety disorders that most of us have. I located the following list of thoughts and behaviors that reflect intolerance of uncertainty[1] in an article by Arlin Concic. I think it is worth noting. Ask yourself if any of these apply to you:
- You look for information and solutions to every possible problem you may face.
- You worry about things even if the odds of them happening is very low (e.g., being in a plane crash, being diagnosed with cancer).
- You require perfect solutions that must have a 100 percent chance of working.
- You seek reassurance from others that everything will be okay, and get second and third opinions on medical matters.
- You make lists, double-check, refuse to delegate tasks, or over-prepare to manage uncertainty.
- You think that uncertainty means something bad will happen.
- You feel it is irresponsible or dangerous for there to be uncertainty in your life.
- You avoid new situations out of fear of uncertainty.
- You procrastinate, keep predictable routines, or ask others to make decisions for you.
- You feel that you can’t tolerate not knowing the outcome of a situation.
- You feel that you would rather know for sure that the outcome of a situation will be bad, than be left not knowing the outcome.
I personally have difficulties with items 3, 5, 8, and 9. This is not a major area of concern for me but that is only because I have much bigger problems because of my other BPD traits. Uncertainty does prevent me from earnestly and confidently marketing my books and materials. I want to be assured of success before I put the necessary energy in to be successful. Because of the anxiety I experience because of my BPD ,everything I do takes a great deal of energy. I have to ask myself if the reward is worth the tension and anxiety that I will experience to achieve my goal. Most of the time it isn’t and I choose to take the easy way out. But there is a cost.
[1] Cuncic, Arlin. ,Intolerance of Uncertainty Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Very wellmind. 2020. https://www.verywellmind.com/intolerance-of-uncertainty-therapy-for-gad-4134611