Has your work been stressing you out lately? Do the demands of your job cause you to feel exhausted by the end of the day? If you’re looking for relief from work stress, DBT skills can help! Learning how to manage stress associated with work will not only improve your work environment, it will also enhance your quality of life overall. Start with these three DBT skills to cope with the intensity of your work…
Read MoreHow will you know if Dialectical Behavior Therapy is right for your teen? DBT teaches your teen skills that will help with acceptance and change. The main goals of DBT skills therapy are safety, learning useful coping skills, and creating a life worth living. In addition, DBT helps your teen become mindful about their emotions, develop healthy relationships, and find balance in their life. Consider these three reasons why DBT will help your teen…
Read MoreMay is Mental Health Awareness month and raising awareness starts with you. Did you know that asking for therapy is one of the best things you can do for yourself or a family member? You might even call it a superpower! Think about it: you wouldn’t hesitate to treat a physical illness like a broken bone. Mental health is no different! Therapy is an opportunity to explore who you are while taking control of your own mental health and wellness. Here are some key reasons why asking for therapy can be so worthwhile...
Read MoreDid you know that you’ve had five skills to help tolerate distress your whole entire life? These are skills that everyone has at their fingertips, yet many people don’t know about them! All you have to do is integrate your five senses. Through self soothing, you utilize your five senses in order to cope with stressful moments. Instead of looking for comfort externally, it is important to practice and learn how to comfort yourself. This skill can be used in any situation. Whether you’re in an argument with a friend or becoming frustrated with your partner, use vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch to lower your distress level. Here are some ways to incorporate self soothing with the five senses into your daily schedule…
Read MoreDid you know that changing your body chemistry can help calm your emotional state? When you’re in a crisis or difficult situation (whether internally or externally) your state of mind can cloud your ability to make wise decisions. By learning to tolerate distress, you will improve your ability to regulate your emotions and act accordingly. In the distress tolerance module, the TIPP skill helps to create a bodily reaction lowers your emotional response. By activating your parasympathetic nervous system during distress using TIPP, you’re able to process and respond to your emotions more rationally. Here’s how TIPP works…
Read MoreWe deal with difficult emotions every day. Feelings like frustration and nervousness can make life challenging. Although you cannot get rid of these uncomfortable emotions, you can choose how you deal with them. As a parent, it’s important to learn healthy ways to accept and cope with stressful emotions and crises. It will not only help you become a more effective human being, it will also allow you to model for your children and your family how to tolerate distress. Consider using IMPROVE the moment to replace negative emotions with positive ones…
Read MoreAs parents, it is possible that you’re incredibly hard on yourself; this kind of behavior can be destructive. It is easy to imagine demonstrating compassion for those that you love. However, it’s far more difficult to show compassion towards yourself. The mindfulness practice for self-compassion will help you learn to practice self-compassion in your daily life. Practicing self compassion is one of the best ways to improve your wellness and your mood, as well as strengthen your relationship with your family members. Learn how to practice a self-compassion break in order to show yourself kindness, alleviate stress, and help you cope with the challenges of parenthood…
Read MoreDo you find yourself having the same conversation, argument, or request over and over with your kids—to no avail? It is understandably exhausting asking something of your child or partner and nothing seems to change. However it’s possible that the situation is unchangeable, so learning to accept the situation for what it is may be your only solution. The DBT skill of “radical acceptance” embodies that idea, as it’s the skill of accepting the things you cannot change. Let’s go over how it works and how you can apply it to your parenting…
Read MoreParents are faced with a variety of different challenging situations from day to day. From managing the kids’ online activities to breaking up arguments to preparing meals that everyone will enjoy, the stress can add up. In these situations, it might feel difficult to deal with intense or painful emotions as they arise. Ineffective ways of managing a crisis may help in the short term, but they can end up making things worse. Use crisis management skills like Wise Mind ACCEPTS when you feel yourself reaching your threshold to Emotion Mind or if you feel your emotional temperature rising…
Read MoreDo you ever wonder why you sometimes find yourself acting up or lashing out from intense emotions? It’s possible that you’re being triggered by your emotional vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities are underlying factors that make it more likely for a person to act emotionally. Parents can be especially vulnerable to their emotions because they’re investing more time in their children and less time in themselves. When healthy self-care practices are neglected, it can leave people more emotionally vulnerable. Luckily, learning how to manage these specific vulnerabilities can help you avoid acting in irrational ways. Start managing your emotional vulnerabilities with the PLEASE skills…
Read MoreDid you know that one of the simplest ways to calm your mind is something that you’re already doing every second of the day? That’s right—it’s all about your breath! When you feel intense emotions, your may instinctively try to slow down your breath. Being mindful of your breathing is as easy as that! Mindful breathing is a powerful yet underutilized tool that helps you calm intense emotions and bring awareness to your present moment. By mindfully breathing, you can create a relaxing effect on your mind and body. Consider these three types of mindful breathing techniques to promote a calmer mood…
Read MoreIt’s mid January and all you can do is count the days until spring. Now more than ever, you’re longing for warmer days and you just can’t kick those winter blues. If it’s proving difficult to trudge through these chilly days, you’re not alone. You can boost your mood by incorporating these three helpful techniques…
Read MoreA new year is a time for new goals. It’s a time to plan for self-improvement and aspire to achieve more in the year ahead. You may aim to learn a new skill, be more present, lose weight, etc. With all of these new goals comes new stress. This year, take a nutritional approach by integrating foods that help with stress reduction. Fuel your body with foods that help you work towards your objectives without suffering from as much stress. Below are three foods to incorporate in 2021 that help manage stress…
Read MoreCheck in with yourself: how have you been feeling? It’s possible that you’re feeling tired, gloomy, or distracted lately. It’s more common than you think this time of year! During winter, the loss of sunlight can have a major impact on your mood and your ability to function. With fewer hours of sunshine, it’s harder to stay motivated, upbeat, and get things done. You don’t have to waste your winter away, waiting for brighter days to return! Consider these ideas below to manage the darker day gloom…
Read MoreThere is no doubt that 2020 has been a year of adjustment. We have learned valuable lessons collectively as a society, and on an individual level as well. Whether they involved finances, social engagement, emotional health, or work, they taught us valuable insights that we may not have otherwise gained during a typical year. As this year begins closing behind us, let’s recognize the valuable lessons learned that we can apply for years to come. Here are three important lessons from 2020 that will be beneficial in 2021…
Read MoreAfter a delicious Thanksgiving meal with loved ones, does your mood feel lower? Are you hit with negative feelings that weigh you down? The holidays are a time of celebration and enjoyment; so why is it that once the festivities have ended, we’re met with a sense of sadness or regret? It’s more common than you’d think to experience post-holiday self-punishment. After the thrill of a positive experience, we’re susceptible to succumbing to negative emotions. Avoid punishing yourself and stop getting stuck in negative feelings by following these simple steps…
Read MoreHave you been dealing with a lot of emotions lately? Supporters of both candidates feel a variety of intense emotions after an election. Both the thrill and excitement of a win and the disappointment and frustration of a loss can have lasting impacts post-election. While it’s okay to feel your feelings in the moment, it is important to know when to let go of those emotions. The tricky part of any emotionally-charged event is determining when to let your feelings pass, and how to move forward without allowing your emotions to overtake you. If you’re unsure about how to proceed during these days and weeks following the election results, don’t worry! Transition from intense feelings to a place of calmness and composure with these useful strategies…
Read MoreIs life’s unpredictability getting to you? We’re in the midst of uncertain times. Between the implications of the coronavirus pandemic and the election results, many people are feeling understandably uneasy. We’re not sure what the future will look like and that uneasiness is causing us distress. When we feel fearful or overwhelmed, we have a natural tendency to go into fight (criticize, yell, get into arguments), flight (run away physically or mentally), or freeze (shut down or isolate) mode. This occurs because our minds and bodies are perceiving the uncertainty as a threat. While it’s okay in the short-term, it can take its toll on our bodies in the long-term. Chronic stress can cause us to feel fatigued, to experience anxiety or depression, and to suffer from sleep issues, among other things. It’s not healthy to be in this mode more often than necessary. Luckily, you can escape the constant state of stress and combat the unpredictability. Here are some quick tips and suggestions to give your mind and body a breather...
Read MoreDoes your teen have trouble adapting to change or bouncing back from challenges? Teenagers don’t have it easy during a pandemic. Their lives were already full of physical, social, and emotional changes every day. With the added stress of COVID-19, it’s understandable for teens to struggle with changes or setbacks. A mistake as small as spilling their glass of water or a problem as big as doing poorly on a math test could negatively impact their mood for the rest of the day. In today’s world, it’s more important than ever for teens to cultivate emotional resilience. It will help them deal with life’s changes and challenges without all of the emotional suffering. Share these helpful tips with your teen so that they can cope with adversity effectively…
Read MoreHave your emotions felt out of control lately? It’s hard to be your best self during a pandemic. Trying to keep the family calm so that you all get along is a major undertaking—let alone keeping your own emotions in-check. Though it would be nice, you can’t ever have complete control over how you feel. The best you can do is to develop better emotion regulation skills so that you’re not feeling emotionally drained by the end of the day. Here are some DBT-inspired tips and tricks to manage an endless list of to-do’s while maintaining your composure…
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