Tag Archive for: Distress Tolerance

Distraction vs. Avoidance

For those of us who deal with intense emotions, whether due to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), BPD traits, or other reasons, we know how important it is to take a mindful, skillful break from our suffering through the use of conscious distraction. I call it conscious distraction, because in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), we use […]

Another Contributing Idea: Distress Tolerance Application

In life, it’s often the little things that matter and that end up making the most difference.  I am a big drinker of Zevia soda (this isn’t a promo for them, but in brief, I turned to it from Diet Coke years ago because I no longer wanted to consume aspartame and caffeine, and theirs […]

Start off the New Year with DBT Skill of Contributing

We recently talked about the important role of self-care in our well being, and I continue to maintain that this is a priority.  While we are doing doing that, we can still serve others, but from a place of feeling like our own cup is full, or in the example of air travel, that our own oxygen mask […]

Quick Tips For Using DBT Skills When Traveling

In contrast to the dreary, snowy landscape outside my window the last time that I wrote for Healing from BPD, I now find myself at the height of summer. The days are hot and long, and the sky is sunny and blue. Looking out the window, it is difficult to imagine feeling anything but relaxed […]

DBT Distress Tolerance Skill of Comparisons: How and Why To Use It

As I lay in bed the other night feeling restless and moody, I began to search for what was causing my distress. As an emotionally sensitive person (who is becoming better at managing intense emotions with time and lots of continued DBT practice,) I am still and likely may always be a little more annoyed […]

Big Decisions, Avoidance, and Being Emotionally Sensitive (BPD, DBT)

As an emotionally sensitive woman who suffered for years with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and is now in recovery, I have noticed a tendency to avoid making large shifts in my life.  Perhaps it’s that whole “Don’t rock the boat” mentality that comes when I think about times when I have become incredibly emotionally dysregulated […]

Couponing to Contribute: A DBT Distress Tolerance Skill Application In Real Life

As emotionally sensitive people, we often think that when we do something, we must do it big…fantastically…brilliantly, and with all of our effort, every single time.  The fact is, this is not always the case, and it’s a lot of pressure to put on oneself if you’re feeling down and distressed. Sometimes, when feeling like […]

Skills for a Psychiatric Pickle* (*dilemma) – Rapping about DBT

In DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), we learn that if you can solve a problem that is distressing you, then problem solving is a great place to start.  But what happens when you find yourself extremely stressed out by a situation over which you have no immediate control or way of resolving? We encounter situations like this […]

DBT Pushing Away Skill: When is it a GOOD idea to push your thoughts and feelings away?

When is it a good idea to push your feelings and thoughts away? In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) there is actually a skill called “Pushing Away,” and it falls under the Distraction Skills. These are considered “Crisis Survival” skills to be used when there is nothing more that you can do to solve a situation […]

DBT Pushing Away Skill: When is it a GOOD idea to push your thoughts and feelings away?

When is it a good idea to push your feelings and thoughts away? In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) there is actually a skill called “Pushing Away,” and it falls under the Distraction Skills. These are considered “Crisis Survival” skills to be used when there is nothing more that you can do to solve a situation […]