Greetings, OPAL Community! Our skill this week is Accumulating Positive Emotions in the Long Term from the Emotion Regulation module. This skill helps us to make changes in our daily lives so that we can each build a Life Worth Living based on our personal goals and aspirations. The first step to Accumulating Positive Emotions in the Long Term is identifying your own personal Values. We think of Values as the compass for a fulfilled and meaningful life; they are the things that matter the most to us. Values give us direction for creating goals and making steps toward who we want to be, and let ..read more

A Brief Introduction to Mindfulness It is exceptionally easy to lose track of the present moment. How many times have you set out to just watch one 30 minute episode of some new Netflix show, to then “come to” several hours later when that judgmental “Are you [seriously] still watching this?” message pops up? Or how about when you open a bag of peanut butter M&M’s as a little treat, but then end up double fisting those tiny morsels to the point of making yourself sick. Both of these scenarios – and many other similar occurrences that arise throughout the day – are prime examples of mindLE ..read more

Here is a statement that even Captain Obvious would roll his eyes at: Life is hard, especially during a world-wide pandemic. Between work, school, family, relationships, and hobbies, it can begin to feel as though it is impossible to find a minute to breathe, let alone participate in activities purely for fun. You may have every intention of taking your friend’s advice to engage in more “self care,” but with your ever-expanding to-do list looming over you like a dark anxiety cloud, it’s becomes second nature to put off whatever activity you had planned for tomorrow (or the next day...or the n ..read more

Greetings, OPAL Community! This week, we are expanding on the DBT acceptance skill of Validation. This skill helps us to soothe and connect with ourselves and others when we are going through pain or feeling alone/misunderstood. Validation is being nonjudgmental “out loud” - through our nonverbals, behavior, and words (or thoughts toward self). One crucial component of validation is the ability to pay attention and be truly present. In doing this, we acknowledge painful experiences without turning away from them (e.g., trying to find a silver lining) or dismissing them (e.g., minimizing the i ..read more

Greetings OPAL community. This week, we are returning to the Core Mindfulness skills to focus on a central concept in DBT: Wise Mind. As participants in DBT, you have no doubt been asked “what do you think is wise” or “have you consulted your wise mind?” Finding this still, quiet place inside each of us can help us make effective decisions, respond rather than react, and connect with an innate sense of knowing what we need. The Mindfulness skills are considered the core of DBT because they help us to acknowledge and accept where we are, and see clearly “with eyes wide open” where changes must ..read more