DBT Exercises: Building Resilience & Emotional Balance
At Resisting Rumination, we draw from effective, evidence-based practices like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT offers powerful skills to help you manage intense emotions, tolerate distress, improve your relationships, and stay present in the moment, all of which are vital for breaking free from the grip of repetitive negative thoughts.
Module 1: Mindfulness Skills
Mindfulness is the foundation of DBT. It teaches you to observe your thoughts without getting caught in them, which is incredibly potent for rumination.
"What" Skills: Observe, Describe, Participate
Purpose:
To become fully present and aware of your experiences without judgment, allowing you to notice rumination without engaging with it.
How to Do It:
Observe:
Just notice what's happening around you and inside you (thoughts, feelings, sensations).
Don't try to change anything, just observe.
Exercise:
"Sound Awareness":
When you find yourself ruminating, stop.
Close your eyes for a moment (if safe) and simply listen.
Try to identify 3-5 distinct sounds you can hear, both near and far.
Don't label them good or bad, just notice the sound itself.
At Resisting Rumination, we draw from effective, evidence-based practices like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT offers powerful skills to help you manage intense emotions, tolerate distress, improve your relationships, and stay present in the moment, all of which are vital for breaking free from the grip of repetitive negative thoughts.
Module 1: Mindfulness Skills
Mindfulness is the foundation of DBT. It teaches you to observe your thoughts without getting caught in them, which is incredibly potent for rumination.
"What" Skills: Observe, Describe, Participate
Purpose:
To become fully present and aware of your experiences without judgment, allowing you to notice rumination without engaging with it.
How to Do It:
Observe:
Just notice what's happening around you and inside you (thoughts, feelings, sensations).
Don't try to change anything, just observe.
Exercise:
"Sound Awareness":
When you find yourself ruminating, stop.
Close your eyes for a moment (if safe) and simply listen.
Try to identify 3-5 distinct sounds you can hear, both near and far.
Don't label them good or bad, just notice the sound itself.
Describe:
Put words to what you observe, factually and non-judgmentally.
Exercise:
"Mindful Object Description":
Pick an everyday object near you (a pen, a coffee mug).
Spend a minute describing it purely factually:
"It is blue. It feels smooth. It is cylindrical. It has a chipped edge."
Avoid any judgments like "This is ugly" or "I hate this."
Apply this to thoughts:
"I notice I'm having the thought 'I should have done X.'"
Participate:
Fully immerse yourself in the present activity, whatever it is.
Exercise:
"Mindful Walking":
As you walk, bring your full attention to the sensation of your feet on the ground, the rhythm of your steps, the gentle swing of your arms.
If your mind wanders to rumination, gently bring it back to the physical sensations of walking.
Relevance to Rumination:
These skills help you create distance from your thoughts ("I am having the thought, I am not the thought") and pull you back into the present moment, interrupting thought loops.
2. "How" Skills:
Non-Judgmentally, One-Mindfully, Effectively
Purpose:
These describe how to practice the "What" skills, crucial for shifting your relationship with rumination.
How to Do It:
Non-Judgmentally:
See reality as it is, without adding labels of "good" or "bad."
Exercise:
"Noting Judgments":
When you notice a judgmental thought ("This is stupid," "I'm bad for thinking this"), simply label it as "judgment."
Don't fight it, just note its presence and let it pass.
One-Mindfully:
Do one thing at a time, fully focused.
Exercise:
"One-Mindful Activity":
Choose a simple activity (washing dishes, drinking water, brushing your teeth).
Devote your entire attention to it, noticing the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations.
If your mind drifts to rumination, gently guide it back to the activity.
Put words to what you observe, factually and non-judgmentally.
Exercise:
"Mindful Object Description":
Pick an everyday object near you (a pen, a coffee mug).
Spend a minute describing it purely factually:
"It is blue. It feels smooth. It is cylindrical. It has a chipped edge."
Avoid any judgments like "This is ugly" or "I hate this."
Apply this to thoughts:
"I notice I'm having the thought 'I should have done X.'"
Participate:
Fully immerse yourself in the present activity, whatever it is.
Exercise:
"Mindful Walking":
As you walk, bring your full attention to the sensation of your feet on the ground, the rhythm of your steps, the gentle swing of your arms.
If your mind wanders to rumination, gently bring it back to the physical sensations of walking.
Relevance to Rumination:
These skills help you create distance from your thoughts ("I am having the thought, I am not the thought") and pull you back into the present moment, interrupting thought loops.
2. "How" Skills:
Non-Judgmentally, One-Mindfully, Effectively
Purpose:
These describe how to practice the "What" skills, crucial for shifting your relationship with rumination.
How to Do It:
Non-Judgmentally:
See reality as it is, without adding labels of "good" or "bad."
Exercise:
"Noting Judgments":
When you notice a judgmental thought ("This is stupid," "I'm bad for thinking this"), simply label it as "judgment."
Don't fight it, just note its presence and let it pass.
One-Mindfully:
Do one thing at a time, fully focused.
Exercise:
"One-Mindful Activity":
Choose a simple activity (washing dishes, drinking water, brushing your teeth).
Devote your entire attention to it, noticing the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations.
If your mind drifts to rumination, gently guide it back to the activity.
Effectively:
Focus on what works to achieve your goals, not what your emotions dictate.
Exercise:
"Wise Mind":
Learn to balance your "Emotion Mind" (feelings, impulses) and "Reasonable Mind" (logic, facts) to find "Wise Mind" the place of intuitive wisdom.
When ruminating, ask:
"What does my Wise Mind know is the most effective thing to do right now, given my goals?"
Module 2: Distress Tolerance Skills
These skills help you get through intense emotional pain without making things worse, especially when rumination is fueled by overwhelming feelings. They're about surviving the moment, not solving the problem.
TIPP Skills (for rapid distress reduction):
Purpose:
To quickly change intense emotional states and reduce physiological arousal that often accompanies rumination.
How to Do It:
T - Temperature: Drastically change your body temperature.
Exercise:
"Cold Water Face Dive" (or splash cold water):
If safe, hold your breath and put your face into a bowl of very cold water for 15-30 seconds, or splash cold water on your face.
This activates the "dive reflex" and can quickly calm your nervous system.
I - Intense Exercise: Engage in quick, vigorous physical activity.
Exercise:
"Burpees or Jumping Jacks":
Do 1-2 minutes of intense exercise (like jumping jacks, burpees, or a quick sprint in place) to burn off physiological energy associated with strong emotions or anxiety that fuels rumination.
P - Paced Breathing: Slow your breathing down.
Exercise:
"Box Breathing (4-4-4-4)":
Inhale slowly for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale slowly for 4, hold for 4.
Repeat several times. Focus purely on the counts.
Focus on what works to achieve your goals, not what your emotions dictate.
Exercise:
"Wise Mind":
Learn to balance your "Emotion Mind" (feelings, impulses) and "Reasonable Mind" (logic, facts) to find "Wise Mind" the place of intuitive wisdom.
When ruminating, ask:
"What does my Wise Mind know is the most effective thing to do right now, given my goals?"
Module 2: Distress Tolerance Skills
These skills help you get through intense emotional pain without making things worse, especially when rumination is fueled by overwhelming feelings. They're about surviving the moment, not solving the problem.
TIPP Skills (for rapid distress reduction):
Purpose:
To quickly change intense emotional states and reduce physiological arousal that often accompanies rumination.
How to Do It:
T - Temperature: Drastically change your body temperature.
Exercise:
"Cold Water Face Dive" (or splash cold water):
If safe, hold your breath and put your face into a bowl of very cold water for 15-30 seconds, or splash cold water on your face.
This activates the "dive reflex" and can quickly calm your nervous system.
I - Intense Exercise: Engage in quick, vigorous physical activity.
Exercise:
"Burpees or Jumping Jacks":
Do 1-2 minutes of intense exercise (like jumping jacks, burpees, or a quick sprint in place) to burn off physiological energy associated with strong emotions or anxiety that fuels rumination.
P - Paced Breathing: Slow your breathing down.
Exercise:
"Box Breathing (4-4-4-4)":
Inhale slowly for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale slowly for 4, hold for 4.
Repeat several times. Focus purely on the counts.
P - Paired Muscle Relaxation: Tense and relax different muscle groups.
Exercise:
Tense one muscle group (fists) tightly for 5-7 seconds while inhaling, then completely release the tension while exhaling, noticing the difference.
Work through different muscle groups.
Relevance to Rumination:
When rumination becomes overwhelming and distressing, these skills can provide a quick "circuit breaker" to interrupt the emotional intensity, giving you a chance to apply other skills.
Exercise:
Tense one muscle group (fists) tightly for 5-7 seconds while inhaling, then completely release the tension while exhaling, noticing the difference.
Work through different muscle groups.
Relevance to Rumination:
When rumination becomes overwhelming and distressing, these skills can provide a quick "circuit breaker" to interrupt the emotional intensity, giving you a chance to apply other skills.
© 2024. All Rights Reserved.
© 2024. All Rights Reserved.