Testimonial with Rafaela

“A bad day is not a bad life.”

My name is Rafaela, I'm 23 years old, and I'm Portuguese. I currently work at a tobacco shop, and I really enjoy what I do.
I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in 2022. My life has never been entirely easy, and knowing my diagnosis didn’t make it better. However, it did give some meaning—a name, so to speak—to why I feel and do certain things. I had never heard of this disorder before, and it was explained to me in a very cold way, but over time, I’ve been learning a lot.

Living with Borderline is a constant struggle; it’s feeling an ongoing emptiness in my chest that takes my breath away until I relieve it through self-harm.
It’s carrying a continuous weight on my shoulders wherever I go, countless confused thoughts that spiral into others, triggering dangerous impulses...
It’s feeling good in my body one moment and utterly horrible in it the next.
It’s having a tremendous fear of rejection from those around me.
It’s struggling to control my anger.

But despite these and other daily feelings, thoughts, and sensations, I don’t lose hope. Even though there’s no cure, there is therapy, which helps me manage what I feel.

I wish people would understand that I’m not a bad person, that when I don’t get out of bed or even leave the house, it’s not out of laziness but because I simply can’t. There are days of deep sadness that keep me confined, not just at home but in my mind, buried under a pile of negative thoughts.

We have to fight, despite the many challenges we face. And there is hope. One phrase that inspires me is: “A bad day is not a bad life.” Because even if today is difficult, even if we’re struggling, it doesn’t mean tomorrow will be the same.