What is Judgment?
A mental statement that something is good/bad, right/wrong, or desirable/undesirable.
What is a judgment?
The first step in changing a negative judgment is to do this, often by writing it down.
What is identifying/noticing the judgment?
ou receive constructive criticism at work and think, "My boss hates me." This is a judgment of...
What is myself or others?
Judging yourself constantly is likely to put you into this type of mind.
What is Emotion Mind?
The opposite action to judging a person as "horrible" is to do this.
What is treating them with kindness or understanding?
This DBT stance encourages observing facts without using evaluative language like "stupid," "bad," or "unfair."
What is the Non-Judgmental Stance?
Instead of saying "I am stupid," you can replace it with this non-judgmental phrase.
What is "I am having a thought that I am stupid"? (Cognitive defusion)
You feel rage and think, "This is unfair!" while waiting in a long line. What is the actual fact?
What is "I am in a long line"?
Negative judgments often stop you from using these, leading to increased suffering.
What are skills?
When I catch myself judging myself as "worthless," I can do this to show self-respect.
What is practicing self-care/self-compassion?
Using words like "always," "never," or "every" is a sign of this type of judgmental thinking.
What is all-or-nothing (or black-and-white) thinking?
This technique involves imagining yourself replacing a harsh judgment with a neutral, compassionate one.
What is "letting go" of judgments?
This emotion often acts as a fuel for making negative judgments about people.
What is anger?
"My partner didn't call back; they must not care," is a judgment that leads to this emotion.
What is insecurity/sadness/jealousy?
Opposite action to judgmental anger: instead of yelling, do this.
What is breathing deeply/speaking softly?
This term describes replacing judgmental words with accurate, sensory descriptions (e.g., "she yelled" instead of "she is mean").
What is "describing"?
When judgmental thoughts occur, you can use this, which involves focusing on one sensation or breath.
What is mindfulness?
According to DBT, ignoring or suppressing negative judgments usually leads to this outcome.
What is a cycle of more negative judgments?
This is the ultimate goal of learning to let go of judgments, often leading to inner peace.
What is acceptance?
If I judge a situation as "too difficult," I can take this step to change my focus.
What is breaking it into smaller steps?
True or False: Being judgmental is a sign of personal weakness.
What is False? (It is a common, often automatic, mental process, not a character flaw
This skill involves doing the opposite of what your judgmental emotional urge tells you to do.
What is Opposite Action?
This is the best time to write down and evaluate your negative judgments for maximum impact.
What is immediately or in the moment?
This, not judgment, is the goal of identifying that you are in "emotion mind."
What is Wise Mind?
The "how" skill that helps us not judge: do this, don't just sit there.
What is Participate?