Here are five core Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills with very quick descriptions to give you an idea how simple they sound and how profound they can be when you are in distress!

Objective: Having easy to use tools when you feel emotional pain.

1. Mindfulness – The practice of staying fully present in the moment, observing thoughts and feelings without judgment.

   
   

   It helps reduce reactivity and increases self-awareness.

   
   

2. Distress Tolerance – Techniques to survive emotional crises without making things worse.

   
   

   These include distraction, self-soothing, and TIPP (temperature change, intense exercise, paced breathing, progressive relaxation).

   
   

3. Emotion Regulation – Strategies to manage overwhelming emotions by understanding and changing unhelpful emotional patterns.

   
   

   Examples include using Opposite Action or checking the facts.

   
   

4. Interpersonal Effectiveness – Skills to communicate needs clearly, set boundaries, and maintain healthy relationships using techniques like DEAR MAN

   
   

   Here is what the DBT acronym DEAR MAN stands for:

   Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce, Mindful, Appear Confident, and Negotiate.

   
   

5. Walking the Middle Path – A skill that encourages balancing opposites, avoiding extreme thinking, and accepting multiple perspectives.
   

   This helps with flexibility and compromise in relationships and decision-making.

NOW YOUR TURN! PICK ONE OF THESE AND MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO USE IT. YOU WILL BE SURPRISED HOW HELPFUL IT CAN BE!