Show Notes
Do you have a hard time doing nice things for yourself? The DBT skill called Accumulating Positive Events in the Short-Term is all about doing small, regular self-care. Putting effort into building positive emotions on a regular basis helps build emotional resilience so you won't get as thrown when hard things happen. Many folks believe that they have to "earn" doing something nice for themselves or that they don't deserve to do things just for pleasure. If this is the case for you, it might be surprisingly hard to take time to engage in regular pleasurable activities. This skill won't change things overnight - that's why it's called accumulating! Slowly, though, you can build up your emotional resilience which can act as a buffer when life gets challenging. To learn more about this podcast and full show notes, go to bayareadbtcc.com Ask Us a Question! We'd love to hear from you! Where are you getting stuck with your skills application? Ask us a question for the chance to have it answered on the podcast. Submit your question here. Please note that questions, and this podcast in general, are not a substitute for individual mental health treatment.
More from The Skillful Podcast
Are you a therapist who wants the experience of being in a DBT skills group yourself? Are you curious about how the skills can help YOU?
What DBT skill do you use when your emotion fits the facts? One option is to work on changing the facts. The skill of Problem Solving offers a structured framework to help you change situations that cause painful emotions.
Once you have grasp of the DEAR MAN skill, you might find yourself getting stuck when you try to use it in difficult interactions. Maybe the other person pushes back, tries to change the subject, or refuses to engage fairly.
Once you have a grasp of the change-oriented skills in DBT (such as Check the Facts, Opposite Action, and Problem Solving) it can be hard to figure out which one to use.