STOP & Managing Strong Emotions
Your supervisor tells you that you made a mistake. You immediately feel embarrassed and angry. Instead of reacting, you pause before speaking. This is the first step of the STOP skill.
What is Stop — pause and don't react immediately?
You are stocking shelves but are thinking about what happened earlier in the day. You bring your attention back to the task you are doing right now.
What is mindfulness?
You feel frustrated because your task is taking longer than expected. Instead of quitting immediately, you take a short appropriate break and return when you are calmer.
What is distress tolerance?
You need help with a task. Instead of saying, “Nobody ever helps me,” you calmly ask your coworker, “Could you please show me how to do this?”
What is effective communication?
You accidentally break something at work. You feel embarrassed and want to hide it. Using DBT skills, the appropriate response is to do this.
What is stay calm, tell the appropriate person, and take responsibility?
A coworker says something that annoys you. You feel yourself getting angry, so you stop, take a breath, and think about what is happening before responding. This DBT skill helps you avoid an impulsive reaction.
What is STOP?
You are feeling nervous before starting your shift. You take a slow breath and notice what you can see, hear, and feel around you. This is an example of using your senses to do what?
What is ground yourself in the present moment?
You receive criticism and feel embarrassed. You remind yourself, “Making a mistake doesn't mean I'm a bad employee.” This is an example of changing an unhelpful thought.
What is emotion regulation/reframing?
A coworker asks you to do their task while you are already busy. You politely explain that you cannot help right now. This demonstrates what workplace skill?
What is setting a boundary?
A customer becomes upset and speaks rudely to you. You feel angry but remind yourself that you don't have to match their behavior. You remaincalm and professional.
What is emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness?
You receive unexpected criticism at work. You want to immediately send an angry text to your supervisor. Instead, you put your phone away and take a few minutes to calm down. This is an example of what STOP skill?
What is Take a step back?
Your workplace is noisy and busy. Instead of focusing on every distraction, you focus your attention on completing one task at a time.
What is mindfulness/focusing on the present task?
You are angry with a coworker. Before confronting them, you take several slow breaths and give yourself time to calm down. Why is this helpful?
What is reducing the intensity of the emotion before responding?
Your supervisor gives you a task, but you are unsure about the instructions. An effective response is to do this.
What is ask respectful clarifying questions?
Your supervisor says your work needs improvement. Your first thought is, “I'm terrible at this job.” You pause and replace that thought with, “I received feedback, and I can learn from it.”
What is reframing an unhelpful thought?
Your coworker is upset and begins speaking loudly to you. Rather than matching their tone, you pause and observe what is happening before deciding how to respond.
What is Observe?
A coworker makes a comment that bothers you. You notice the thought, “They don't respect me,” but you don't immediately assume the thought is a fact. This demonstrates what mindfulness skill?
What is observing thoughts without automatically acting on them?
You have had a stressful morning and arrive at work already upset. You recognize your emotional state and decide to use healthy coping skills instead of taking your frustration out on coworkers.
What is emotion regulation?
You disagree with a coworker. Instead of insulting them, you say, “I see it differently. Can we talk about another way to handle this?”
What is respectful disagreement/interpersonal effectiveness?
You become overwhelmed because you have several tasks to complete. Instead of panicking, you pause, make a list, prioritize the most important task, and work on one thing at a time.
What is mindfulness and problem-solving?
Your supervisor gives you instructions you don't understand. Instead of pretending you understand or becoming frustrated, you pause and calmly say, “Could you please explain that again?”
What is Proceed mindfully?
You are becoming overwhelmed during your shift. You pause, take several slow breaths, notice your surroundings, and then return your attention to your work.
What is mindful grounding?
You are extremely upset after receiving unexpected feedback. You cannot solve the problem immediately, so you focus on safely getting through the moment without making the situation worse.
What is distress tolerance?
You need to ask your supervisor for a schedule change. You clearlyexplain what you need, remain respectful, and listen to their response withoutbecoming argumentative. This is an example of what DBT skill?
What is DEAR MAN/interpersonal effectiveness?
A coworker says something that makes you angry. You want to immediatelyargue, but you use STOP, calm yourself, consider your goal, and then respectfully explain how the situation affected you.
What is using STOP and interpersonal effectiveness to respond instead of react?