Struggling with emotions can take a toll on our relationships. DBT focuses on improving our interpersonal skills to help us build and maintain meaningful, quality relationships. Approaching conversations with more conscious intention and thoughtfulness — rather than reacting impulsively due to distressing or intense emotions — is likely to bring us more satisfaction in our interactions with others. Learning to set boundaries, be more assertive and ask for things when appropriate are taught in DBT to enhance our interpersonal skills.

Emotion Regulation

Emotion regulation skills are important for better managing our emotions. Why? Because it helps us understand how our emotions work. Emotion regulation skills typically centre around naming and understanding our emotions, decreasing the frequency of unwanted emotions, and effectively managing and problem solving in order to increase our mental health.

What is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)?

The first component is mindfulness. Sometimes used as a standalone therapy in its own right, mindfulness helps us connect with the present moment. It teaches us to acknowledge our thoughts and feelings without getting lost in them.

Instead of fighting against our thoughts, mindfulness helps us to observe them without judgement, minimising the power they hold over us.

The second acceptance skill DBT helps build is distress tolerance. Many mental health conditions involve a degree of distress, and this can be something that’s challenging to get to grips with.

By its nature, distress is uncomfortable. It’s not something most people would actively seek out, yet it’s a common feature of life. Learning distress tolerance skills can help you cope with these feelings, equipping you with strategies to help you overcome these challenging moments.