Week of November 1st

Emotional vulnerability is an inherent part of being human. When vulnerable, we are unfortunately more prone to dysregulation and unhelpful behaviors that tend to perpetuate cycles of distress and self-destruction. DBT teaches us several skills to activate in the face of vulnerability as a means towards keeping unwanted emotions away. One of those skills is to do something pleasant every day, and to be mindful of the positive as it is happening.

Accumulating positives is hard, though. We have brains that become self-focused and habitually point out what is wrong, how something could be better, what we don’t have, what someone else has, how our lives are so much harder, and on and on… It’s a big ask, if you think about it: DBT wants us to not just find the time to do something pleasant, but also take on a mindset that might feel like a costume. Yes, yes DBT wants that. Because it works.

When thoughts become narrow, painful, or unhelpful, we would like to remind you that you are both an individual and simultaneously one part of a whole in any given moment. It can feel lonely out there, we understand that. Choosing aloneness when feeling lonely is like solving a stomach ache with more candy (we hope you enjoyed your Halloween!). You can start with reminding yourself you are a part of a treatment and community that is bigger than any one person.

This week we would like for you to consider how you might use this perspective to manage your vulnerabilities, and maybe even get empowered towards choices. What happens to your shame response when you remember you are part of a whole? How does your ability to contribute to others change when you feel this awareness?

TED TALK