Inspirations

Week of November 8th

CONNECTIVITY

Last weekend was the New York City marathon — an event where runners and spectators from all over the world come to support one another in a 26.2 mile challenge. Spectators crowd the edge of the streets and cheer for their loved ones, the loved ones of the strangers standing next to them, and other random runners that are inspiring to watch. The runners crowd the running lanes and cheer each other, stop to help tired runners, and pause to take a dance break with the crowd or give a hug/kiss to a loved one. There are even virtual spectators and runners participating from their own locations. It is encouraging and exciting to see so many people from all walks of life feeling connected by this race.

In DBT we hold what is called a dialectical worldview. One of the principles of dialectics is that everything is connected, like waves in the ocean. While each wave individually crashes on the shore, they are each part of the larger ocean.

It is so common to identify differences within our society. Differences of people, perspectives, preferences, etc. Differences are important and should be appreciated. They are what make each and every one of us unique!

At the same time, in a world of identified differences, we sometimes overlook similarities. Acknowledging and accepting similarities is one of the ways that we can develop awareness of our connection. This week we encourage you to spend some time thinking about similarities between yourself and others. This could be between you and your co-worker, peer, teacher, family member, grocery store cashier, or a stranger that you pass on the street. See if you can identify how you are connected through commonalities with others.

For some, connection may prompt happiness and increased mindfulness of the present moment. For others, connection may prompt fear or uneasiness. If you observe fear in the presence of connection, take some time to think about what you are fearful of and see if you can check the facts of the fear. Consider if practicing opposite action would be effective.

In addition to exploring connectivity through an awareness of similarities, think about other steps you could take to feel connected. This does not necessarily have to be a connection between you and another person. It could be with nature, a hobby, a mindfulness moment, etc. What is something else you could do this week to prompt feeling connected?

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

TED TALK

PODCAST
No Coincidence No Story by thisamericanlife.org

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
Bridging Generations to Create Meaningful Connections
Having someone to talk to makes all the difference

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE

Week of November 1st

ONE PART OF A WHOLE

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?

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

TED TALK

PODCAST
We Believe Each Other Into Being

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

DESSERT

CONTRIBUTE

Week of October 25th

OVERSTIMULATION

BOO! Much like the spooky surprises of a ghostly greeting, different aspects of our environment can be overwhelming.There are many instances during our daily routine that can be too activating. When our bodies are overactivated, we might experience fear, panic and restlessness.

What could trigger an overactivation in our bodies? Think about your five senses: hearing, touching, seeing, smelling and tasting. Sounds can generate an unsettling surprise, such as a loud yell or a rumble of thunder. Certain sensations on our skin can create an unnerving feeling, like a bug bite or a rough fabric. Dark spaces may cause our heart to palpitate or a nasty smell may cause our stomach to ache. Even a spicy taste can overwhelm our bodies by making it sweat.

This week we want to review a DBT skill that helps stop intense feelings of overstimulation from growing. The skill is called TIPP. The “T” represents tipping the temperature. If you are overstimulated, grab ice, or an ice pack, to lower your distress. The “I” represents intense exercise. Can you run up and down two flights of stairs if your body is overactivated? The first “P” represents paced breathing. To lower your distress with breathing, shorten your inhale to four seconds, and extend your exhale to six seconds. Finally, the second “P” represents paired muscle relaxation. Sometimes the key to managing overstimulation can be found in letting go of tension in our bodies by shrugging your shoulders as you breath in and releasing them as you breath out.

If you are at home or out trick-or-treating we would love to hear how you utilize your TIPP skills to feel less overstimulated.

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY CHALLENGE
How has suicide impacted your life?

Please send us your creative writings, drawings and creations that have captured your efforts to build a life worth living.

Please send to [email protected]

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TED TALK

PODCAST
Why is it so damned hard to regulate emotions? by Charlie Swenson

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
How to Paint Acorns by HomeStoriesAtoZ

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE

Week of October 18th

HALLOWEEN

It is almost October 31st and many people are preparing for the big day. Pumpkins are being carved. Cobwebs are being placed on trees and bushes. Decorations are being hung on windows and doors. Costumes are almost complete. Halloween is a holiday that produces mixed emotions for many. Some are eager to dress-up while others are scared to leave the house. We see everything from superheroes to vampires to gory skeletons. While some of us will be participating in trick-or-treating, some of us will be binging on our favorite scary movies. So many individuals and families will celebrate fear. However, we are not naturally attracted to fear.

Halloween is an opportunity to experience fear and to gain comfort with its experience. Halloween is an opportunity to play with fear because there is no actual threat. The holiday gives people permission to openly express and address their feelings and concerns about death and fear itself, in a playful manner. The more ghoulish and gory the sights, the greater the admiration and appreciation of the experience.

In DBT we encourage individuals to expose themselves and approach fear. We encourage individuals to accept fear, and observe sensations of fear. When the fear is unjustified we coach individuals to act opposite to fear. This week we celebrate our willingness to act opposite to fear and expose ourselves to that which makes us scared. What are you doing to approach your fears?

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY CHALLENGE
How has suicide impacted your life?

Please send us your creative writings, drawings and creations that have captured your efforts to build a life worth living.

Please send to [email protected]

CLICK HERE TO SEE ENTRIES

Take your photo with #metronydbt or send DMs @metronydbt

TED TALK

PODCAST
Episode 45: Facing Your Fears

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
Easy Outdoor Halloween Decor

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE

Week of October 11th

PSYCHOEDUCATION

Every year on October 10th, the World Health Organization recognizes World Mental Health Day. This day serves to bring awareness, support, and education to mental health issues at large. In honor of World Mental Health Day, Metro is highlighting the importance of psychoeducation and knowledge as a means to enhance individual’s curiosity, understanding, and acceptance of their own struggles.

Psychoeducation is a process that uses information and education to assist in the understanding of one’s psychological experience and provide recommended interventions for the given issue. Utilizing psychoeducation helps individuals increase awareness and understanding of their symptoms, triggers, and common experiences. This process allows for a greater sense of control and clarity as individuals become familiar with the framework of their mental health issue, and feel more empowered to participate in achieving their treatment goals.

This week, we are emphasizing knowledge as power, and the importance of building acceptance, connection, curiosity, and compassion, in the face of judgment and worry of one’s own mental health struggle. We look forward to hearing from you about the sources that you have found informative and impactful. Where do you search for knowledge and information? How does information play a role in your treatment goals? What ways do you continue to spread the knowledge learned?

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY CHALLENGE
How has suicide impacted your life?

Please send us your creative writings, drawings and creations that have captured your efforts to build a life worth living.

Please send to [email protected]

CLICK HERE TO SEE ENTRIES

Take your photo with #metronydbt or send DMs @metronydbt

PODCAST
Talks on bpd and Recovery by Perry Hoffman, PHd

VIDEO

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
Free Printable Coloring Pages for Kids

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE

Week of October 4th

FALL INTO REGULATION

It is FINALLY starting to feel like Fall! Many are adjusting to their new schedules and settling into their “normal”routines. Many eagerly await the typical Fall activities, including apple picking, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and roasting marshmallows while sitting around a warm fire. Yet the challenging part of this time of year is that we may have longer to-do lists, busier schedules, more assignments, and longer meetings. Accordingly, Fall brings contrasting emotions, the feeling of being both excited and overwhelmed.

Feeling overwhelmed manifests in a variety of ways. Do you find yourself worrying about completing tasks? It can feel exhausting, or even cause the urge to surrender to the stress. In order to continue our hard work, and make it through this busy time, we at Metro are practicing a skill called Ride the Wave. This skill is helpful in regulating ourselves enough to move through the stress, and make it out to the other side.

Our emotions are similar to waves in the ocean – they rise and fall all day. Sometimes those waves reach astonishing heights, but eventually they end. When humans feel overwhelmed by stress, the wave of anxiety can rise and fall. To regulate ourselves, we can follow these steps:

1. Notice what you are feeling. Name what you are feeling and why, such as “I am feeling overwhelmed because I don’t know how I can keep up with my work load”.

2. Don’t fight the feeling. We encourage you to experience it fully. If you try to fight it, it can knock you down, much like standing in front of large ocean wave.

3. Accept your current feeling knowing it is only temporary. Remember, all waves have an ending.

By practicing Ride the Wave skill, you are surfing your own emotional waves! In what ways have you felt overwhelmed this Fall? How might riding the wave help you when you have the urge to avoid your tasks?

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY CHALLENGE
How has suicide impacted your life?

Please send us your creative writings, drawings and creations that have captured your efforts to build a life worth living.

Please send to [email protected]

CLICK HERE TO SEE ENTRIES

Take your photo with #metronydbt or send DMs @metronydbt

PODCAST
Ask Me Anything About Emotional Regulation by McLean Hospital

VIDEO

Ride the Wave Skill by Hannah Wright

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
How to Make Your Own Meditation Cards

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE

Week of September 27th

BALANCE

In DBT we focus much of our attention on balancing dialectically opposed views. Some common pairs we visit include acceptance and change, being and doing, and reasonable and emotional. Observing dialectics and accepting the validity in their polarities allows us to walk the middle path and manage extreme emotions and circumstances that come our way.

Dialectics appear in our natural world as well. The fall equinox marks the start of when daytime and nighttime start to balance out, thus sharing equal amounts of time over a 24-hour period. This act of balancing invites change. In some climates, leaves will start to fall from their trees since functionally they are no longer necessary to protect from the heat of the summer. In this time that nature changes and moves towards balance, we invite you to consider what balance means to you.

What changes are you undergoing currently? What do you need to either shed or cultivate in order to achieve a sense of balance?

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY CHALLENGE
How has suicide impacted your life?

Please send us your creative writings, drawings and creations that have captured your efforts to build a life worth living.

Please send to [email protected]

CLICK HERE TO SEE ENTRIES

Take your photo with #metronydbt or send DMs @metronydbt

PODCAST
Dr. Jud Brewer | Cultivating an Open Awareness

TED TALK

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
How to Make a Garden Sundial by DIYNetwork.com

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE

Week of September 20th

MOVEMENT

Being active is hard when someone is suffering with suicide ideation and taking the first step is even harder. In an effort to further raise awareness for suicide prevention, we want people to recognize the benefits of physical movement knowing it’s positive impact on an individual’s overall mental health.

If you or someone you know has been struggling with depression or suicide ideation, you may be familiar with the vicious cycle of a sedentary lifestyle and mood dependant behavior. Basically, when a person feels down or hopeless, they are not motivated to be active. Such lack of movement will typically increase urges to isolate and avoid. In order to stop this cycle, we want to encourage behavioral activation.

Behavioral activation is an important intervention utilized to help people understand the influence of behavior on emotions. Movement and exercise can produce “good chemicals” in the brain that lift our mood. To get started, behavioral activation asks us to set goals, for instance, sitting up in bed instead of laying down, walking around the block instead of standing still outside, or doing yoga instead of sitting on the couch.

What are some things that you do to be physically active? Do you find them helpful in changing your mood, or inspiring you to do more? What could you do to help someone else slowly get more active? Let us know! We would love to hear what you or your loved ones do to get active.

WORDS OF WISDOM