ABC Please

How to increase positive emotions and reduce vulnerability to Emotional Mind

Accumulating positive experiences

Build mastery

Cope ahead of time with emotional situations

Treat PhysicaL illness

Balance Eating

Avoid mood-altering drugs

Balance Sleep

Get Exercise

Do pleasant things that are possible right now.

• Increase pleasant activities that lead to positive emotions.

Be Mindful of Positive Experiences:

• Focus your attention on positive events while they are happening.

• Refocus your attention when your mind wanders to the negative.

• Participate fully in the experience.

Be Unmindful of Worries:

• Don’t destroy positive experiences by thinking about when they will end.

• Don’t think about whether you deserve this positive experience.

• Don’t think about how much more might be expected of you now.

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