Feeling Stressed? Try This DBT Tool For Emotional Regulation

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DBT stands for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, which is a form of psychotherapy adapted from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). DBT focuses on four main pillars: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotional Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. 

The following exercise is an emotional regulation tool called thought defusion. Thought defusion helps you to zoom out and detach from thoughts that may be causing you stress.

First read through the exercise instructions below. You could even record them in a voicenote to play back to yourself. Next, when you are ready, set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes, play some peaceful background music, close your eyes and begin.

Exercise: 

Imagine that you are standing on a beach along the shoreline. You find a piece of driftwood, and begin to draw in the sand all the thoughts you're currently thinking that are causing you to feel stressed. Look at all the words you have written. 

Next, you see behind you a tall wooden lifeguard tower. You climb up to the top of it, and then look down at the words you've written, only they are much smaller now. 

The wind begins to pick up, the sea begins to churn, and large waves grow along the beach's edge. Each crashing wave against the shoreline begins to slowly wash away your words.

Take slow, deep breaths as you continue to watch each wave swallowing the words you drew.

You pause to take in the loud sound of the waves, the calls of the seagulls overhead, the feeling of the warm breeze and the sunlight dancing over your skin.

When you look down at the shore again, you see that all your words have washed away. They are insignificant against the sands of time and the waves of eternity. 

You are all that matters, and you are more than enough.