Printed this out a while back. Again, I want to throw the sheets away so need to put them up here. Might be useful for others. Please email me at n.alam@alamyaakub.com if credits are needed (I don’t have the source details as of now), thanks.
Skillsets:
- Coping thoughts
- Recognise your emotions
- Cutting and self-mutilation exercise
- Manipulation behaviours exercise
- Addictive behaviours exercise
- Thoughts and emotion defusion
- Balancing thoughts and emotions
- Positive activities log
Coping Thoughts
- “Nobody’s perfect. I can make mistakes.”
- “This situation will not last forever.”
- “I’ve also survived other painful experiences. I can survive this one too.”
- “This too, shall pass.”
- “My feelings come and go, just like waves.”
- “I had experienced overwhelming emotions before and survived.”
- “I am feeling uncomfortable right now, but I can accept it.”
- “I can accept my feelings, and this way decreases their intensity.”
- “I can feel sad and still deal with the situation.”
- “I am strong enough to deal with what is happening right now.”
- “This won’t get to me. I can ride this out.”
- “I can step back, give it a rest, relax, and come back to it later.”
- “I have survived similar situations and did well.”
- “It is hard to feel at peace now, but this feeling is only temporary”.
- “As difficult, the situation may be. I am going to survive it.”
- “The current situation sucks, but it is only temporary.”
- “I can feel stressed and still deal with the situation.”
- “My emotions and thoughts don’t control my life. I do.”
- “Feelings and thoughts are temporary. They will go away.”
- “This is a chance for me to learn how to cope with my fear.”
- “If I want to, I can think different thougts.”
- “I can use proven methods to help me through this.”
- “I feel this way because of my past. I am not in danger now.”
- “I have overcome difficulties before. This will not be different.”
- “I am going to ride out my feelings as if I were on a wave.”
Recognise Your Emotions
Ask yourself:
- What just happened? (Give date and time)
- How do I think and feel about what happened? (Be specific)
- Ok, it happened, but why? (What caused it to happen?)
- When it happened. What did your emotions tell you what to do? (What did you feel like doing?)
- How did you react as a result of how you felt? (What exactly did you say or do?)
- How did the things you said and did affect you later? (What were results of your action? Short and long term consequences?)
Cutting and Self-mutilation Exercise
- The cutting and self-mutilating that I engage in are:
- The temporary rewards for my behaviour are:
- The long-term costs and dangers of my behaviours are:
- What are some things I can substitute self-mutilating with?
Manipulation Behaviours Exercise
- The manipulation behaviours that I engage in are:
- The temporary rewards for my behaviours are:
- The long-term costs and dangers of my behaviours are:
- Without manipulating, what can I say or do to get what I want?
- If somebody would manipulate me, how would I feel?
Addictive Behaviours Exercise (Example alcohol and drugs)
- I display these alcohol or drug-using behaviours
- The short-term rewards for my behaviours are:
- The long-term consequences of my behaviours are:
- My drug and alcohol habits affect how I feel because:
- I can improve my substance (alcohol, drugs, cigarettes) use by: (list down items)
Thoughts and Emotion Defusion
Use visualisation exercise to remove or feel changing thoughts and emotions. Example:
- Imagine you are on a beach by yourself. You are sitting by the sea. In front of you on the sand is written an emotion or thought. As you stare at it, the waves simply wash it away.
- It is a beautiful summer day. You are sitting near a stream. As you sit there, you watch leaves with your thoughts and emotions written on the pass you by.
Balancing Thoughts and Emotions
- What just happened?
- How do I think and feel about what happened (be expressive)?
- What evidence supports how I think and feel?
- What evidence contradicts how I think and feel?
- Considering all the evidence. What is a better way to think and feel about the situation?
- What can I do to cope with the situation in a healthy way?
Positive Activities Log
List in a day or week in the following format:
| When? | What? | How did you feel? | What did you think? |