DBT in Practice - Reducing Vulnerability to Emotion Mind and Building a Life Worth Living
Happy August everyone!
One thing I have been thinking about a lot recently in my clinical work is how much we often we as a society forget the basic principles of good overall health. By this I mean that clients often come into therapy seeking psychological and emotional strategies to “fix problems” happening in their lives, and sometimes we neglect to think about the importance of looking after our bodies as well as our minds.
To this end I wanted to build on the DBT skills I have been speaking about in my blogs by talking through an Emotional Regulation Skill - ABC Please. This skill is really about reducing vulnerability to what we call “emotion mind”, which if you recall is our hot-headed, impulsive, sometimes mean, part of ourselves.
In reducing vulnerability to emotion mind we put our brains in the drivers seat, we control our emotions and not the other way around, and this helps us build towards our core goal in DBT, building a life worth living.
So what is ABC Please? It stands for:
Accumulate Positive Emotions
In the short term this means doing pleasant things that are possible now (e.g. take a bath, go for a walk, talk to a friend)
In the long term this means making changes in your life so that positive events will happen more often in the future.
This is a bit more of a complex and involved process, but might mean things like - ending relationships which we know impact our mental health negatively, signing up for a university course in an area we’d like to work in, starting a new hobby that we think will lead to building up a core network of friends and supports
Build Mastery
Do things that make us feel competent and effective to combat helplessness and hopelessness (e.g. continuing to work on that knitting project you’ve started, helping out a friend when they are in need)
Cope Ahead of Time with Emotional Situations
Rehearse a plan ahead of time so that you are prepared to cope skilfully with emotional situations (e.g. if you know you’re having a difficult conversation with your boss about a raise on Monday, make sure you get a good nights sleep before hand, eat something the morning of, and practice what you want to say to them with a trusted friend or family member)
Take Care of Your Mind By Taking Care of Your Body (PLEASE)
Treat Physical Illness, balance eating, avoid mood-altering substances, balance sleep, and get exercise
This skill in particular I know is quite boring but I also think incredibly important! Make sure you are prioritising getting help if you are unwell, you’re eating elements from all food groups and get lots of colour on that plate, avoid drugs that you know are harmful for you, prioritise your sleep and make your sleep space a calm and safe one, and get outside and do any form of movement that feels right to you
Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope this post had some helpful skills for you to implement ongoing!
