Here are some tips to reduce the headache of living with dissociative identity disorder (DID). Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules to “deal” with this, as what worked well yesterday may not today and what works for one personality may not work for others. So knowing all of that, here are 10 general tips for living with DID on a daily basis. The first thing to remember with all of this is: Be flexible.
1. If you drive, get a GPS (global positioning system)
Depending on how fragmented you are, which of the alters is driving and what is going on within the ‘system’ (is it chaotic? Quiet? Are they all working together mostly?) Sometimes the body ends up on the other side of town , or worse half the state (or more) before you know it. Here’s how it works: in a minute you’re standing in the kitchen cooking dinner or talking to your partner; * blinks * and the next minute you’re at the wheel of your car without a HINT as to where you’re going, why you’re there, or how to get back. Schedule home GPS first thing in the morning. Just last week this [psychogenic fugue] It happened to me, and I ended up near the Canadian border.
2. Attach an internal whiteboard or save an external notebook.
One of the most important things you can do to try and maintain some kind of conscious continuity between your parts is to make it mandatory for everyone to take notes on some central notebook or internal whiteboard. Because we tend to waste time due to personality change, it is vital that detailed notes are kept. Some people may keep an internal “whiteboard” on which alters write down notes of the important things they have done or committed to (doctor appointments, dates, exams); others keep an external notebook in which everyone writes. I have been able to make both available even though the whiteboard is neglected.
3. Let the people around you know what to call your most cooperative personalities, just in case.
Sometimes when the system is in chaos or you are having a panic attack, it helps if someone around you whom you trust is able to draw attention to a reassuring personality, one that will keep things under control for you. system. But only do this if you feel comfortable and trust the person; otherwise the “scream” will be of no use. In fact, it could activate a protector. [potentially violent alter].
4. Secure your funds.
Understand that there is more than just spending your money and wanting to spend your money. So if you have bills to pay, pay them first as soon as you have money. Better yet: keep your bills in automatic payment or try to pay them in advance so you don’t have as much debt. That way, bills are paid whether you remember it or not. Make it so that all your financial responsibilities and vital needs are taken care of first, that way the remaining money can be spent and it won’t affect your lifestyle. If possible, set a two-signature requirement for checks and avoid carrying an ATM card with you.
5. Have a place for important papers or unexpected documents (traffic tickets, IRS notices, etc.) and make sure everyone in the system knows to check out that place when they are out and about.
This is in keeping with trying to stay as close to continuous awareness as possible. Not all alters are considerate or concerned with cooperating with others; Some are extremely reckless, in fact. Make sure to keep all your documents in one place; here is a real life example of why. Imagine that you are in your car and for whatever reason you are pulled over to discover that you have outstanding tickets and a court order. That would annoy even the kindest people. Something like this happened to me. So be sure to keep your documents in one place, no matter how horrible (some alters hid documents from me from the rest of us). This is difficult advice to follow, as you will have to get others to agree and not hide things. Be willing to be a mediator.
6. Keep an emergency contact phone number (closest relative) in your purse, wallet, and / or cell phone.
Even people without DID should have this information on hand. However, for those of us with DID, it is also important that we have the contact information for our psychiatrist and / or therapist or treatment center.
7. Establish a safety net for yourself in the event of a panic attack or similar emergency.
It is very important to have a support team when you have DID. Your team may include your partner, supportive friends, your therapist, and even your child. It is also important for me to say that neither of these people always need to know that you have DID. People who care about you will help you in every way possible, and most of the time, without asking too many questions. Find the people you can trust and build your safety net from there.
8. Keep all prescription medications in a safe place and keep a diary of when you take them.
Unfortunately, there are alters who are suicidal and who hate the body in general and also hate all other personalities. At some point, these alters appear and sometimes damage the body by putting it in dangerous situations, by self-mutilation, or by attempting a drug overdose. Therefore, it is better to keep the drugs in a place that these disruptors do not know about. It is also a very good idea to keep track of when you take your medications. Otherwise, if an alter comes out and you don’t know you’ve already taken the required dose, that alter can take another dose as well.
9. Become a good actor / actress.
Learn to “play” it when you are approached by someone you’ve never met and act like the two of you are good friends. These people may be strange to you, but they could be best friends with one of your alters. You just don’t know because you didn’t have co-awareness during the interaction with that person. So, become a good actor and / or actress when this happens. Use your judgment with this one, I mean, you recognize a vine when you see one, right? There is a difference. Just be careful.
10. Be prepared for your alternate children to hang out at Toys -R-Us and other places.
If you have alternate children, be nice to them and have something for them to play around the house. I learned this the hard way when, while I was at Toys-R-Us, one of my alternate boys came out, grabbed a toy, and ran down the hall with it, no feet and no frills (at least that’s what I thought). they said later). . Of course, I am a 42-year-old woman. I don’t have stuffed animals. I don’t even have board games, but the body ran and played. So now I have some toys at home and have ‘the talk’ with my son before going to the mail or grocery store, as I got really tired of finding sweet cereals and toys in the shopping cart at checkout. weather.
Hope these tips are helpful to you. If you have questions, let me know.