DBT: understanding and regulating emotions · worksheet 77
When we sleep badly, skip meals or are ill, emotions overflow more quickly. Looking after your body is a simple way of protecting your emotional balance.
Before you start
- What it is for: To make your emotions less explosive by looking after the basics: sleep, meals, health and movement.
- A minute a day for one or two weeks.
- When the body is tired, hungry, ill or under the influence of alcohol, emotions flare up more easily. Looking after it is a way of protecting your mood.
- You don’t have to do everything perfectly: choose one or two points to improve.
Prefer paper? Download the PDF to print (with a page for psychologists).
What to do with your results
Compare your emotions on days when you slept and ate well with the other days: the difference is often clear. Keep the change that helps most.
If you find it hard
Choose one change at a time. If you use a lot of alcohol or drugs to calm down, talk to a professional.
For psychologists
The PDF also includes a page for the psychologist: how to run the exercise in session, points to watch and scientific references. You are free to use it with your clients.
For psychologists: aim, audience and duration
Help the person spot the physical factors that make them more vulnerable to intense emotions (sleep, food, illness, substances, physical activity) and put small protective habits in place.
Intense, changeable emotions, irritability, frequent crises. Duration: 15 min in session; follow-up over two weeks.
References
Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.). Guilford.
Harvey, A. G. (2002). A cognitive model of insomnia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40(8), 869-893.
These worksheets do not replace therapy. If you are in distress or having suicidal thoughts, call your local emergency number (112 in Europe; 3114 in France, free, 24/7).
Free worksheet for non-commercial use: you may share it with credit to the author, without modifying it (Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence).
