Student Resources

MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness is being in control of your mind instead of your mind being in control of you. It is being in the present moment without judgment and without trying to change it. Being mindful is being alert and aware to what is happening inside you and around you.

Reference: From DBT® Skills Manual for Adolescents, by Jill H. Rathus and Alec L. Miller. Copyright 2015 by The Guilford Press.

POSITIVE THOUGHTS

EMOTIONS....

Emotions Give Us Information.

• Emotions provide us with a signal that something is happening (e.g., “I feel nervous standing alone outside”).

• Sometimes our emotions communicate by “gut feeling” or intuition. This can be helpful if our emotions get us to check out the facts.

• It’s a problem when we treat emotions as if they are facts about the world. For example: “If I am afraid, there must be a threat,” or “I love him, so he must be good for me.”

• We need to be mindful that emotions are not facts. Therefore, it is important to check the facts about the situation.

Emotions Communicate and Influence Others.

• Facial expressions, body posture, and voice tone say a lot about how you’re feeling. They communicate emotions to others (e.g., your sad face may cause someone to ask you if you are OK and to give you support).

• Whether you realize it or not, your emotions— expressed by words, face, or body language— influence how other people respond to you.

Emotions Motivate and Prepare Us for Action.

• The action urge connected to specific emotions is often “hardwired.” For example, when we hear a loud horn beep suddenly, we startle.

• Emotions save time in getting us to act in important situations. Our nervous system activates us (e.g., we instantly jump out of the way of an oncoming car). We don’t have to think everything through.

• Strong emotions can help us overcome obstacles— in our mind and in the environment.

Reference: From DBT® Skills Manual for Adolescents, by Jill H. Rathus and Alec L. Miller. Copyright 2015 by The Guilford Press.

MODEL OF EMOTIONS (VIDEO)

Ways to Manage Emotions

• Understand and Label the Emotion: Once you are able to understand and label your emotion, you can decide if you want to change your emotion or continue to experience the emotion.

• Change your Emotional Response by:

  • CHECKING THE FACTS: Your thoughts and interpretations of an event can intensify or change an emotion. Interpretations can be wrong. It is important to check the facts and make sure that what you think happened actually did happen.

  • USE OPPOSITE ACTION: Change an emotion by acting opposite to that emotion. Every emotion comes with an action urge. (i.e. when you are sad instead of withdrawing approach others or engage in an activity).

  • PROBLEM-SOLVING: When painful emotions are caused by a situation, solving the problem is the best way to change the emotion.

Reduce Emotional Vulnerability:

• ACCUMULATE POSITIVE EXPERIENCES: Increasing positive experiences relieves stress and builds emotional resilience. Do at least one thing everyday that you find pleasant and enjoyable.

• BUILD MASTERY: This is the skill of engaging in activities that are difficult but not impossible; doing difficult tasks on a regular basis builds self-confidence and competence.

• COPE AHEAD OF TIME: Rehearse coping skills in advance of a situation that is likely to trigger difficult emotions. This increases the likelihood that a person will actually carry out that behavior during the emotional situation and reducing the likelihood that you will become overwhelmed. Two types of practice: in vivo and imaginal practice.

• "PLEASE "SKILLS: Decrease vulnerability to emotion mind by taking care of the body; Treat Physical Illness, balance Eating, Avoid mood-altering drugs, balance Sleep, and get Exercise. Although these are essentially common sense practices, people tend to overlook them.

LETTING GO OF EMOTIONAL SUFFERING

• THE WAVE SKILL- MINDFULNESS OF CURRENT EMOTIONS: At times, distraction is very effective, however, it is just as important for you to learn how to experience and tolerate emotions as well. Just as the waves in the ocean come and go, heighten and lessen, so do emotions. It is important to be mindful of and experience the physical sensations that accompany emotions without distracting yourself from or avoiding them. "SURF THE WAVE"

Reference: Mazza, J. J., Dexter-Mazza, E. T., Miller, A. L., Rathus, J. H., Murphy, H. E., & Linehan, M. M. (2016). The Guilford practical intervention in the schools series. DBT® skills in schools: Skills training for emotional problem solving for adolescents (DBT STEPS-A). COPYRIGHT 2016 Guilford Press