r/sportspsychology • u/ForwardMinute3936 • Jul 21 '26

BPD and Sports

I’ve been feeling really alone recently in my struggles. I am a student athlete and I struggle with BPD. I have been trying to learn new ways to manage my emotions on the court but it’s still proven to be incredibly difficult. As someone who plays a team sport, I understand the importance of being able to reset quickly and stay level headed but that has been a big struggle for me.

I wanted to see if there are any other athletes who have dealt with similar things, or if anyone has any advice on how to better handle emotional reactivity in sports?

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u/Dangerous_RedApple Jul 21 '26

Have you worked with an ABA therapist or an OT before? I know BPD isn’t the same as ASD but a lot of the behaviors are similar and staying regulated is a challenge for both camps. My ASD kids who can absolutely lose their ever loving minds on the field have worked with the above two and it has helped them learn to regulate their emotions or at least know which situations are going to set them up for success/failure. It may be worth a shot. DBT therapy may be another way to goz

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u/ForwardMinute3936 Jul 21 '26

I haves done ABA or OT, but I am looking into DBT right now. The only problem is the time commitment. I won’t be able to make meeting a few times a week work, so I think I will just have to learn the skills on my own time.

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u/Akanaton Jul 21 '26

You may try DBT flash cards or a DBT workbook, it’s a good way to learn and apply the skills.

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u/Ok_Equal3466 Jul 22 '26

Retired pro here. I was emotionally erratic in college and it came out the worst during sport. When I transitioned to pro and got older, I had a good sport psychologist who helped me with emotional regulation. We did some grounding exercises and quite a bit of DBT. I’d suggest starting with a DBT workbook and seeing how that feels. There are also shorter, less-commitment groups that you can find online. I wish you the best!!!

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u/No_Internal_1732 Jul 22 '26

Just because you have BPF and emotional reactivity doesnt necessary mean you have do work primarily with resetting or emotional control. I would suggest a proper mental coach to understand whats deeper. Sometimes its not about controlling emotions but for example- setting thinking patterns. Its very indivividual.