Stress, anxiety, and depression are the terms every adult is familiar with. According to the World Health Organization, 301 million people experienced anxiety disorders in 2019, and the number is continuously increasing. It has also been shown that more women have these disorders than me, and there are several reasons for this. The intense feelings of stress and depression result in overwhelming, and those individuals feel that this is the end of their lives. The feelings of uncontrolled fear cause stress, anxiety, and worry that often start during childhood or adolescence, but they become difficult to control if left untreated. Hence, it is imperative to control them, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) plays an important role in managing the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression of DBT skills.
In this article, we will discuss the key skills involved in managing these disorders through DBT.
Symptoms and Patterns
Let’s begin with the symptoms of Anxiety and Stress. Persons affected by stress, anxiety and depression often encounter these symptoms and patterns:
- Difficulty in concentrating
- Can not make decisions
- Feeltense and restless
- Binge eating or starving
- Have difficulty sleeping or sleep for long periods
- Usually tremble and shake
- Heart palpitations
- Experience nausea
- Have a sense of danger and panic every time
DBT Skills for Managing Stress, Anxiety and Depression
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is one of the best approaches to manage stress, anxiety and depression for a happy and contented life. It was developed in the late 1980s by a psychologist to treat borderline personality disorders. Now, this therapy is used to treat various other disorders to regulate the emotions of a person to find calm. However, it should be noted that DBT is not a quick fix, but with consistency, everyone can achieve the desired results.
There are four modules or skills of DBT that help individuals with anxiety. In this section, we will discuss what these skills are and how they help with anxiety and depression.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the state of the mind that lets you experience the present moment without needing to change it. It helps individuals to be present in the current moment without worrying about the future and the past because anxiety and depression are the result of ruminating about what is about to come. You can also practice mindfulness at home as well. Here’s how to do it:
- Set a place aside where there is calm and quiet
- Set 5-10 minutes in the start
- Sit down on a kneel and make sure you are in a stable posture
- Feel your breath as it goes in and out
Emotional Regulation
Adult life puts us on a roller coaster of emotions, and the inability to cope with these emotions increases the signs of anxiety and depression. DBT helps in identifying emotions to cope with intense emotions through various skills. One of which is the S.T.O.P. skill acronym of “Stop, Take a Break, Observe, and Proceed”.
- You can regulate your intense emotions by:
- Calming yourself and thinking clearly
- Taking deep breaths or walking for 10 minutes
- Avoid reacting until you have control over your emotions
Distress Tolerance
Distress tolerance skills are effective in teaching individuals how to tolerate a panic attack in a distressed condition. People find it hard to manage their panic during negative emotions without getting anxious. One of the important skills in distress tolerance is T.I.P.P, which is an acronym for “Tip the temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, and Paired muscle relaxation.”
You can navigate your emotional crises by doing this:
- Splash cold water on your face when you are feeling upset.
- Do intense exercise as it will increase oxygen flow to decrease stress levels.
- Practice box breathing by breathing in for four seconds and breathing out for four seconds/
- Tighten a muscle, and then relax it because it will relax more than it was before and will let go of tension and restlessness.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Interpersonal effectiveness is important because it strengthens connections of the person with others. This skill is important to foster a healthy and happy relationship with their loved ones, which causes improved self-confidence and reduction in anxiety.
The most practiced skill in interpersonal effectiveness is D.E.A.R.M.A.N., which can be practiced as:
- Choose a person whom you can describe and depict a situation
- Express your feelings openly
- Do not assume that the person already knows everything
- Reinforce the person
- Be mindful of your goals
- Appear confident
- And lastly, negotiate, offer and ask for solutions to your problems
Conclusion
Managing stress and depression is the need of the hour to have a happy life. It not only builds happy homes but gives confidence to kids and everyone around them. We have mentioned the skills in DBT to practice, but it is always better to see permanent and effective solutions to your problems by being open to DBT from a professional.
