Thoughts & feelings~12 minDBT
Check the facts (and opposite action)
When an emotion is running hot, check whether it fits the facts — and if it doesn't, act opposite to the urge.
Both skills come from DBT's emotion regulation module (Linehan). Emotions make sense, but sometimes they — or their intensity — don't fit the actual situation. When an emotion doesn't fit, acting opposite to its urge, all the way, is one of the most reliable ways to change it.
1. The emotion I want to change
2. How intense it is
3. What happened — just the facts, as a camera would record it
4. My interpretations and assumptions about it
5. Other possible explanations
6. What am I afraid will happen? How likely is it, really?
7. If the worst did happen, how could I cope?
8. Does my emotion — and how strong it is — fit the facts?
Pick one
9. What the emotion is urging me to do
Fear: avoid. Anger: attack. Shame: hide. Sadness: withdraw.
10. If it doesn't fit: the opposite action, all the way
Fear → approach. Anger → step away and be gently kind. Shame that doesn't fit → share it with someone safe. Sadness → get active.
11. If it does fit: what can I do about the problem itself?
12. What happened when I tried it