ABC PLEASE

The world has changed so much in a matter of weeks- self-isolation and social distancing. Every day we are receiving new information and sometimes this can give us information overload and increase our anxiety. It becomes hard to talk about anything else and it feels like everywhere we go, that’s all anyone is talking about.

Why Practice?

It’s important to continue to practice our DBT skills and manage our anxiety. We are all going to be okay and sometimes it’s really hard to truly believe that!

Using our DBT skills, we will be going through three different concepts from the Emotion Regulation module. These skills help us create balance in times of our life when things may feel chaotic and uncertain. By building helpful habits, we shift our mindset to be more positive and resilient.  This will help us feel hopeful and assured that everything will be okay. 😊

Let’s gets started with today’s skill:

ABC PLEASE

ABC PLEASE is an acronym that reminds us to increase our positive emotions and reduce our vulnerability to being in an overly emotional state (aka. Emotion Mind). By practicing the ABC PLEASE skill, you will learn how to find a balance in your life and try to include things in your life that are good for you and make you happy.

Let’s break down the acronym a little:

 

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

 

Let’s start with the letter A– Accumulating positive experiences. It’s important to think about what you can do RIGHT NOW to make yourself feel better, along with what you can do in the LONG term to make yourself happy. Start with activities that are possible now like a new hobby, walking outside, reading a book, painting, drawing. You don’t have to be good at the activity you’re doing, it just has to be something that you enjoy!  In the long term, you can work towards a goal. Maybe you have always wanted to learn how to play guitar or cook that special meal. Maybe you have dreamt of practicing Photography or starting a workout routine. Think of something that you can work towards and then let’s create small, baby steps towards your goal. For example, if your long-term goal is to start a new workout routine, the first step could be working out for 5 minutes once a week. It sounds easy, but what this does is, it creates small goals that we know we can accomplish and this will increase our confidence and mood! You can build from there and increase the goal to working out two days a week for 5 minutes…etc.

Let’s move on to the letter B- Building Mastery!

Building mastery teaches us to do at least one thing each day that will help us feel in control of our lives. This can include doing something off of our to-do list, practicing a new instrument, or starting a new project. The important thing to remember is to plan for success by selecting an activity that is difficult but still possible. Make sure it’s realistic and set yourself up to succeed!  As you reach our goals each day, slowly increase the difficulty to help build your skills. Make sure you are growing and challenging yourself.

An example of Building Mastery could be putting together that shelf that you bought months ago that has been sitting in the box. Your goal for day one might be to open the box and read the instructions. The next day, you may remove the items from the box and lay them flat to ensure that all the pieces are accounted for. The next day you might start building the bottom portion of the shelf… and continue from there.

Now on to the letter C- Cope Ahead of Time with Emotional Situations.

We have all experiences a situation more than once and tried to recall how we handled this same situation I the past. Coping ahead of time teaches us to rehearse a plan ahead of time so that you feel prepared when there is a threat.

You would start by Describing a situation that creates negative emotions for you. It’s important to be specific and name the feelings that you are thinking will come up for you.

Next, you will want to decide which skills you want to use in the situation- again, be specific. Do you want to practice deep breathing, or radical acceptance, or validation, or something else! The more specific you can be, the easier it will be for you to recall this information when you need it.

Then you want to Imagine the situation in your mind with as much detail as you can. If you would like to, feel free to close your eyes and place yourself in that specific setting within your mind.

Lastly, Rehearse coping effectively in your mind. Think about exactly what you could say and do and practice this over and over in your mind. Also, you can think about any problems that might come up and plan accordingly. Most things don’t go as planned so it’s important to think of a Plan B just to be safe.

PLEASE Skills

Treat PhysicaL illness: Take care of your body. See a doctor when necessary. Take medications only as prescribed.

 

Balance Eating: Don’t eat too much or too little. Stay away from foods that may make you overly emotional, or overly tired. For some of us, this may be sugary foods or eating too much pasta, things like that.

 

Avoid mood-altering drugs: Stay off nonprescribed drugs such as marijuana, other street drugs, and alcohol.

 

Balance Sleep: Try to get the amount of sleep that helps you feel rested. Most of us need at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. Try to stay on a regular schedule during the day, which will help your body know when it’s time to wind down and go to sleep.

 

Get Exercise: Do some sort of exercise every day, including walking. Start small and build on it! If you are able to, getting outside can boost your mood while being active.

 

What’s Next?

Learn more about Kari and how she can help you put a plan into place in a way that is unique to your needs and life. Contact us today if you’re ready to experience an improvement in your mental health.

Contact us: 289.648.4033       kari@lifetherapytoronto.com