Fear, anger, and guilt. This fast-paced world and the pressure of keeping everything on track have left us dealing with some overwhelming situations that eventually impact the quality of life we live. Every one of us has dealt or dealt with such emotions at any point in our lives. Sometimes, the situation becomes so unbearable that the person suffers from anxiety and depression due to the failure to effectively deal with the negative emotions.
Luckily, we have Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) on our list, which will help you practice mindfulness and overcome your negative thoughts in the healthiest way possible. Let’s go through this blog post for a comprehensive overview of mindfulness as a core skill from the DBT Skills group.
What is Mindfulness?
When a person is suffering from anxiety, he/she is often struck by a certain moment that impacts their thoughts, emotions, and behavior. In DBT, mindfulness is a powerful approach to help a person stay in the present moment without any judgment and focus on the things that exist in the present rather than focusing on past mistakes or future anxieties.
Practicing mindfulness is a crucial part of DBT as it promotes a healthy and productive lifestyle by changing our emotional and behavioral patterns. Thus, it regulates our feelings and helps us to regain control of our consciousness. Some other benefits of mindfulness include regulation of our cognitive behaviors, boosting our immune system, and improving our sleep quality.
DBT Mindfulness Exercises for a Balanced Life
There is a huge list of mindfulness exercises to let you choose one that blends in with your lifestyle. Here are a few effective ones as suggested by our DBT professionals.
1. Mindful Breathing
This is the most basic yet effective DBT mindfulness exercise with minimal effort. If you want to start with this exercise, sit or lie down and leave your body relaxed. Stay focused on your breathing pattern and concentrate on the rise and fall of your body with each breath. If your focus gets diverted at any point, try to bring it back to your breathing pattern. Only 20-25 minutes of mindfulness breathing exercises can help you practice mindfulness in your daily life and reduce stress.
2. Mindfulness Eating
Many individuals have some wrong eating habits, especially when they are stressed, like eating too quickly or eating too much and using it as a diversion to their negative emotions. However, it eliminates the joyful eating experience, which is the true essence of a balanced and healthy meal. Mindful eating involves slowing down the eating speed, which you can do by focusing on the taste and texture of each bite. Your hunger will be satisfied quickly with this enjoyable experience, which will ultimately have a positive psychological impact.
3. Mindful Walking
Mindful walking is the best alternative to meditation for those who are stuck in a tight routine and cannot spare some time for conventional meditation. So, if you want to practice mindfulness in a couple of minutes you get free from your work, mindfulness walking is your best resort. In your free time, walk in an open environment, preferably in a garden or a lawn, where you can feel connected to Mother Nature. Observe your environment or focus on your senses, like feeling air blowing around you or the smell of soil, or focus on your breathing. Gradually, you will feel yourself grow out of your past and cherish the present moments.
4. Body Scan
The body scan is a mindful exercise to help you reconnect with your body and ultimately enable you to stay focused on your present. To practice this exercise, put your focus on scanning your body from head to toe. Go slowly and think about each part. Start with your head and pay attention to your present thoughts, slowly move to your eyes and focus on what they are seeing, and then go down to your toes and feel what they are feeling at the present moment.
5. Gratitude Journaling
When the negativity starts overwhelming us, we often adopt pessimistic behaviors and start neglecting the boons we have. Gratitude journaling can bring optimism to your life by highlighting things that you are lucky to have instead of what you are lacking. Begin by listing a few things you appreciate in your life. It will enable you to reflect and appreciate the little things or moments you own, highlighting a positive perspective on life.
Final Words
Mindfulness serves as a cornerstone of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, recognized as one of its essential skills. There are tons of ways to practice mindfulness and we have included a few of them in our above guide. Practicing mindfulness is all worth it as it helps people to live a healthy and worthwhile lifestyle by mitigating their negative thoughts and enjoying their present.