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DBT is a skills-based therapy that outlines many skills for dealing with and responding to difficulty.
Some examples:
Self-soothe with the 5 senses
Vision – Seek colors, images, views that are pleasing and calming. Take in nature, have pictures around, etc.
Hearing – Utilize sounds that help to relieve distress. This includes music, recorded meditations, nature sounds, etc.
Smell – Have smells nearby that aid in relaxation. Bring awareness fully to food that is cooked, nature smells. Light a candle or incense, use oils and lotions.
Taste – Notice mindfully the foods you intake.
Touch – Experience enjoyable touch experiences. Snuggle with a blanket or pet, notice your feet in the puddles, warm water while washing dishes.
Create a self-soothe box. Fill a box or bag with sensory pleasing items and keep it in a place where you often feel heightened anxiety – in a bedside table, in the car, by the bathroom mirror.
ACCEPTS
Activities – Know activities that commonly relieve your distress - taking a walk, doing yoga, cooking, cleaning, watching a movie, reading, etc.
Contributing – Care for someone else – take dinner to a new mom, volunteer, run an errand for a friend.
Comparison – Think about how far you have come and what you have been able to conquer in the past.
Emotions – Care for yourelf on an emotional level through avenues that reach your emotion mind – listening to music, reading poetry, journaling.
Pushing Away – Put energy into something else for a time.
Thoughts – Challenging unhelpful thought patterns.
Sensations – Self-soothing through the 5 sense (above).
IMPROVE the moment
Imagery – Visualizations. Visualizing yourself facing the challenging situation and it going well. Visualizing a safe place.
Meaning – Finding meaning, for example what you learned from going through something difficult.
Prayer – Connect and talk with God
Relaxation – Notice where you hold stress in your body and actively release that tension. Common places are in the forehead, shoulders, neck, and back.
One thing mindfully/at a time – Being fully present and giving something your full attention. Actively bringing your awareness to what you are doing and who you are with.
Vacation – Take a temporary true or mental vacation. This can mean taking a break to do something relaxing and enjoyable or can be visualizing a mental vacation, or happy retreat.
Encouragement – Harness positive self-talk.