Tag: mindfulness
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Effective Rethinking and Paired Relaxation: A Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how effective rethinking and paired relaxation can help you manage negative thoughts and emotions. This step-by-step guide shows you how to challenge unhelpful thinking, create balanced alternatives, and pair them with calming relaxation techniques to reduce stress and build resilience.
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ER Kit: Planning for Distress
Strong emotions can feel overwhelming, but preparing an emotional emergency kit can help you stay grounded during stressful times. In this article, Dr. Christine E. Dickson shares practical tips for creating a personalized kit—filled with comfort items, grounding tools, coping strategies, and emergency contacts—to support your mental health when life feels unpredictable.
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How to Use the STOP Skill
When emotions run high, it’s easy to react impulsively. The STOP technique—Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed—offers a mindful way to pause and respond with clarity. In this article, Dr. Christine E. Dickson explains how to use this DBT skill in everyday life, so you can manage stress, improve relationships, and make more intentional choices.
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Using TIP to Tolerate Distress
When emotions feel overwhelming, the TIP skill—Temperature, Intense Exercise, and Paced Breathing—can help calm your body and mind fast. In this article, Dr. Christine E. Dickson explains how to use this DBT distress tolerance tool to reset your body chemistry, reduce anxiety, and regain control in moments of high stress.
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Pushing Away: A Distress Tolerance Tool
Emotions can’t always be controlled, but they can be managed with the right tools. The DBT skill “Pushing Away” helps create distance from overwhelming feelings so you can respond more calmly. In this article, Dr. Christine E. Dickson explains how to use this distress tolerance technique to pause, regroup, and approach emotions with greater clarity.
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Embrace Being an Outsider
Feeling like an outsider doesn’t have to be negative—it can actually be a strength. In this article, Dr. Christine E. Dickson explores five powerful benefits of being on the outside looking in, including fresh perspective, freedom, objectivity, versatility, and resilience. Learn how to embrace your uniqueness and turn it into an advantage.
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A Cloud Never Dies
Thích Nhất Hạnh reminds us that fear of death comes from the illusion of birth and annihilation. In Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm, he teaches that there is no true beginning or end—only continuation. In this article, Dr. Christine E. Dickson reflects on Hanh’s wisdom and shares how meditating on non-being can…
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How to Manage Complex PTSD
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) can leave survivors feeling trapped in cycles of pain, but healing is possible. Drawing on insights from Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Christine E. Dickson shares strategies for recovery—including mindfulness, exercise, social support, creativity, and trauma-focused therapy—to help you reclaim your life.
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Working Through Shame
Shame can leave us feeling unworthy and disconnected, but healing is possible through self-discovery and compassion. In this article, Dr. Christine E. Dickson outlines strategies to work through shame—such as identifying its roots, practicing vulnerability, challenging shame-based beliefs, and embracing self-forgiveness—so you can reclaim your sense of worth and rebuild self-esteem.
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The Zones of Regulation Framework for Children
Socioemotional challenges like ADHD, autism, and anxiety are common in children today. The Zones of Regulation, created by occupational therapist Leah Kuypers, is a simple color-coded framework that helps kids identify their feelings, manage emotions, and improve social skills. As Dr. Christine E. Dickson explains, one key step is recognizing triggers — the people, places,…