In the current world of technology and requiring everything in the present moment, we have become more efficient in achieving our goals as well as doing our jobs, however, have we learnt to manage our stress more effectively?
With the ever-increasing forms of burnout in our everyday lives, we need to be mindful of ourselves and our needs to help manage the stress.
Here are some tools you can utilize to relieve your stress through DBT (Dialectical behavior therapy) skills:
1. Mindfulness – This approach is concerned about being in the present (here and now). Look within and ask yourself: “what are my needs at this moment?” Focus on your breathing and slow it down.
2. Self-Soothe – Reconnect with some of the activities that help you feel more relaxed and at peace. Utilizing your senses, take a bath and try not to think of anything in your external world but rather just the here and now. Listening to soothing music or going for a walk can also help.
3. Distraction – Distract yourself from the moment for a short period of time in order to help yourself regulate and to feel more positive, especially if you are in a distressing situation.
4. ACCEPTS – this skill focuses on doing an activity that can distract you from your negative emotion, such as walking, reading a book, or calling a friend. In addition, you can do something kind for another person, such as acts of charity, which can help relieve emotional distress and keep your mind off the problem at hand. Comparisons – This is utilized to help add perspective and to focus on what you have achieved or what you currently do, in order to have a reframing of the mind. Emotions – this skill is where opposite action comes into play which is immensely powerful for emotion regulation. For example, you are feeling angry, your natural urge is to fight or shout, while utilizing opposite action in that scenario would include whispering or adopting a softer volume, while perhaps hugging the individual who might have triggered your anger. This will evoke the opposite feeling of peace and calmness. Push away, this next part of the acronym allows you to distract yourself temporarily, where you are in a clear mind and space to approach the problem at hand. Thoughts: replacing negative thoughts with activities that are productive can help you avoid self-destructive behaviour. This is a good tool to utilize until you are confident and capable of achieving emotion regulation. Lastly, sensation is where you utilize your five senses to self-soothe in times of distress. Utilizing any activity that appeals to your senses can help you cope in the present.
These skills are useful in emotion regulation and do not to encourage avoidance of a particular problem but accomodate personal emotion regulation. However, if you feel the need to avoid a situation because you believe you may make things worse, allow yourself to do so while still setting a time and place to when you will come back to the problem when you are in a better frame of mind to resolve it constructively. For more information about the utilization of DBT skills or further guidance, contact me for a session.