Practical skills
Self-Care
Practical skills, and the kinds of therapy that teach them. Not a substitute for treatment — a set of things you can practice alongside it.
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Types of therapy
CBT, DBT, psychodynamic, humanistic — what each one actually involves, and what the evidence says about complementary approaches.
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DBT skills
Distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness: getting through a bad moment, and asking for things without losing the relationship.
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Practicing mindfulness
Being aware of the present moment without judging it. The DBT skill the other three are built on.
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Emotional regulation
What anger, envy, fear, jealousy and sadness feel like, what sets them off, and what helps when one is too strong to think through.
Some self-care ideas include
- Have a picnic
- Do a two-minute stretch
- Go for a drive
- Go to a bookstore
- Watch the sunrise/sunset
- Take a nap
- Watch the clouds float by
- Walk around the block
- Watch entertaining Youtube videos
- Research something interesting
- Edit who you follow on social media
If you need help right now rather than something to practice, the crisis lines are here.