Emotion Regulation Skills (DBT)

What is my emotional response/thought/physical sensation/behavior to a perceived trigger?

1. Check the Facts: Does my emotional reaction match the facts (i.e. Am I making assumptions?, Am I experiencing cognitive distortions such as catastrophizing, fortune telling thinking, personalizing, black and white thinking?)

2. Opposite Action: If my emotions do not fit the facts or the emotion is not effective (i.e. If your emotional response is fear and you have a tendency to lash out, practice the STOP skill, deep belly breathing, self-compassion reframes “I am experiencing anxiety, it is not my fault, I will get through this”, distract and engage in self-soothing-exercises, go for a walk, take a bath, listen to music, TIP body chemistry.

3. Problem Solving: If the facts are the problem AKA you do not have enough information about something to know if it is a threat. Get more information by asking questions, think of solutions to the problem, choose a solution and make a plan of action on how to solve it.