Frankly, if you are the friend or family member of someone with BPD, it can be very hard to have a validating response to emotions that seem out of proportion with the situation.

But invalidating your loved one’s response probably doesn’t help.

Self-validation is one of the best ways for emotionally sensitive people to manage their own feelings.

“When you give another person the power to define you, then you also give them the power to control you.” ~Leslie Vernick It’s coming up on the anniversary of when I left a relationship that was both my unhealthiest and my greatest catalyst for growth.

While I’m able to see that he was a spiritual assignment I needed in order to evolve, I can’t help but feel resentful. My past is riddled with complicated, codependent, and crazy encounters.

Rather, you communicate to them that you understand what they are feeling, without trying to talk them out of the feeling or shame them for the feeling.

When you validate an emotional response, the first step is to acknowledge the emotion that the other person is having.