#dbt exercise

I AM: 5 good qualities about myself

I CAN: 10 things I know how to do

I HAVE: 3 things I am proud of

I WILL: 2 goals I have moving forward

As an optional short exercise, try to think of one fear you have towards each statement, and a counter for that fear. I'll do an example with the first one.

I have the right to express all of my feelings, positive and negative. ↳ Fear: I don't want to be annoying or make people uncomfortable ↳ Counter: I am never annoyed when my friends do this, and I enjoy how they express themselves

I have the right to ask for what I want.

I have the right to say no to requests or demands that I can't meet.

I have the right to change my mind.

I have the right to make mistakes and to not have to be perfect.

I have the right to follow my own values and standards.

I have the right to say no to anything when I feel I am not ready / it's unsafe / violates my values

I have the right to determine my own priorities.

I have the right not to be responsible for others' behaviors, actions, feelings, or problems.

I have the right to expect honesty from others.

I have the right to be angry at someone I love.

I have the right to be uniquely myself.

I have the right to say "I'm afraid" and to feel scared."

I have the right to say "I don't know."

I have the right not to give excuses or reasons for my behavior.

I have the right to make decisions based on my feelings.

I have the right to my own needs for personal space and time.

I have the right to be playful and frivolous.

I have a right to be healthier than those around me.

I have the right to be in a non-abusive environment.

I have the right to make new friends and be comfortable around people.

I have the right to change and grow.

I have the right to have my needs and wants respected by others.

I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

I came up with a little exercise for when the hellbrain is trying to spit lies at me and thought I'd share. When I'm in the middle of a fit, I often still have access to my logical mind, but can't break through to my wise mind, and I've found this helpful (2nd row omitted for possible triggering subject and names censored)

I typed up a version if anyone would like to give it a try. Don't be discouraged if you can't fill them out in quick succession. Identify the emotion, try to find reason, and evoke your wise mind. It is in there!

A page out of my good vibes journal. I have a journal for stream of consciousness where the hellbrain can be as bad as it wants to be, and I keep a second journal for positivity and prompts and such. Some days it’s easier to write in than others, but it feels good to give even your own mind boundaries. Good vibes only, no hellbrains allowed. Transcript of quotes under the cut

Note before we begin: If you are outside of Canada, USA, Europe or Japan, please feel free to try this activity with another hard candy of your choice!

Challenge time!

This mindfulness exercise is all about being able to describe by making a statement without an attached judgment through the use of taste.

Unravel the wrapper, and set a timer for one minute. You can use your phone or stopwatch, the most important thing is you are not distracted by your the device or your surroundings.

Focus on the taste and feel of the candy in your mouth, if your mind wanders, don’t judge yourself, let it slowly return to the task at hand. 

When the timer goes off, let yourself speak aloud or write down what you tasted. Was it creamy? Hard? Chewy? 

The goal is to not make a value judgment, it’s important for this exercise to refrain from phrases such as “I liked” or “didn’t like,” and other words that give the piece of candy worth or value.  Starting with something that is as seemingly simple as a piece of candy can seep into our daily lives and help us learn to describe instead of making judgments.  

If you try this activity, let me know your findings- was it easy? challenging? How did it make you feel?

If you found this activity helpful, please reblog and share! If you want more content like this, let me know by hitting the like button, because there’s many more where this came from! :)