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Dealing with Distress 5 column DBT worksheet

Amanda Knowles

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On this page, we will provide you with a Dealing with Distress 5 column DBT worksheet. It will help you to distract yourself from negative thoughts and events.

What is the Dealing with Distress 5 column? DBT worksheet?

Distress tolerance is a person's ability to manage actual or perceived emotional distress. It also involves being able to make it through an emotional incident without making it worse. The worksheet specifically is about dealing with distress tolerance skills with dialectical behavioral therapy. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) centers around four essential components: mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. It aims at teaching its clients different "Self-Help Activities.” So, whenever they face difficult situations, they don’t let the problem take control of themselves. Instead, they take control of the situation by keeping in check their own emotions and reactions.

How Dealing with Distress 5 column DBT worksheet will help?

DBT makes you self sufficient when it comes to dealing with negative emotions and distressful situations. It will help you to distract from distressful situations by using ACCEPTS.

ActivitiesDo hobbies, watch a video, go for a walk, play a sport, cook, garden, go fishing, go shopping.
ContributingDo volunteer work. Babysit so a friend can go out. Do something nice or surprising for someone.
Comparisonsyou compare yourself to others' suffering, watch weepy soap operas, read about disasters. Some people find this helpful; others don't. Just do what works for you.
EmotionsRead inspirational books, go to emotional movies, listen to emotional music. For this to work, you need to read or watch or listen to things that have an emotion opposite to what you feel.
Pushing awayThey are pushing Away a distressing situation by leaving it mentally for awhile.
Thoughtsways of distracting with thoughts are reading, watching videos or movies, doing crossword puzzles or jigsaw puzzles,
SensationsAny strong physical stimulus like this can kind of jog lose your connection to your pain and distract you from it.

Instructions on how to use the Dealing with Distress 5 column DBT worksheet

Use this worksheet whenever you feel that you are in a distressful situation.

Other worksheets you maybe interested in 

Below are links to a few more worksheets which are closely related to the worksheet above.

Distress Tolerance Handout #5: Basic Principles of Accepting Reality worksheet

Dealing with the Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness

Dealing with Distress 8 step DBT worksheet

Conclusion

On this page, we provided you with a Dealing with Distress 5 column DBT worksheet, which hopefully helped you to distract yourself from negative thoughts and events.

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.

Resources

The worksheets on this site should not be used in place of professional advice from a mental health professional. 

You should always seek help from a mental health professional or medical professional. We are not providing any advice or recommendations here.

There are various resources where you can seek help.

You could use Online-Therapy if you feel you need counselling.

If you live in the UK then this list of resources from the NHS may help you find help.

If you live in the USA then you could contact Mental Health America who may be able to assist you further.

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Amanda Knowles

Amanda Knowled is an Applied Psychologist, with a deep interest in psychopathology and neuropsychology and how psychology impacts and permeates every aspect of our environment. She has worked in Clinical settings (as Special Ed. Counselor, CBT Therapist) and has contributed at local Universities as a Faculty member from time to time. She has a graduate degree in English Literature and feels very connected to how literature and psychology interact. She feels accountable and passionate about making a "QUALITY" contribution to the overall global reform and well-being. She actively seeks out opportunities where she can spread awareness and make a positive difference across the globe for the welfare of our global society.