29 Sep ACCEPTS: What can I do?
by Ami
Distractions for distress tolerance skills can be very helpful and effective by getting your mind off the crisis temporarily so you can come back to the problem and manage it when you’re feeling more emotionally regulated. What can we do though? Well if you’re having a hard time thinking about what to do to distract you these are some helpful ideas.
Activities: Hobbies, Going to the gym, go on a hike, play video games, watch movies, watch a show you have on your backlog, plan a trip to another country or area (when it is safe to do so), Pick up a new craft or hobby you’ve been curious about
Contribution: Writing letters to friends, family or loved ones, Garden for someone (with the owner’s permission), Donate to charities, offer to do an errand for a household member, Make something homemade for someone such as food or a craft, attending a protest or sign petitions for a cause you believe in
Comparisons: Writing a gratitude list of things or people you’re grateful for, writing nonjudgmental description of yourself and comparing yourself to the past and the positives you have now.
Emotions: Listen to music that give you positive emotions, Looking at Memes you like, watching movies something that evokes positive emotion, play a game you know that gives you positive emotions.
Push Away: Visualize pushing your distress in box and pushing it away temporarily, Write all your distress and worries on a piece of paper and physically and put them in a box and lock it away,
Thoughts: Counting backwards, Trying to remember an old song, state what you see, decipher what a song means, analyzing a movie a video game, write a story, Make an original character give them a backstory, picking apart what instruments you hear in a song,
Sensations: (Taste:sour candy, taste new foods), (Touch: sensory bin of beans or marbles), (Smell: Bath Bombs), (Hear: white noise machine, music that inspire or excites, podcasts you enjoy), (Visual: Pictures of animals, looking at art)