Self-Soothing and Relaxation
What is self-soothing?
Self-soothing is a distress tolerance skill that uses the five senses to comfort oneself during emotional distress
What is mindfulness?
Awareness of thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and actions—in the present moment—without judging or criticizing yourself, others, or your experience
What are emotions?
Signals in your body that tell you what’s happening, influence thoughts and motivate behavior
What is mindful attention?
Paying attention with others involves staying in the here and now - remaining present to what you see, hear, and sense emotionally
What are the 5 senses?
Sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch
How does describing your emotions help with mindfulness?
Creates distance from them, allows you to observe emotions without judgment, differentiate emotions from facts
What are the 2 types of emotions?
Primary emotions - Initial reactions to what is happening, strong feelings that come quickly, does not involve thinking about what’s happening
Secondary emotions - Emotional reactions to your primary emotions, feelings about your feelings
What is aggressive behavior?
It can range from verbal outbursts to physical violence and can be caused by genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors, including frustration, fear, stress, trauma, and certain mental health conditions
Aromatherapy uses what sense of the 5 senses?
Smell
Why are mindfulness skills important?
Help to focus on one thing at a time in the present, leading to better control over overwhelming emotions
What are emotion regulation skills?
Help people cope with reactions to primary and secondary emotions in more effective ways, you can’t always control what you feel but you can control how you react to those feelings
What is passive behavior?
Avoiding conflict, not asserting one's needs, and internalizing feelings instead of expressing them. Often rooted in a fear of confrontation or a feeling of powerlessness, can lead to stress, resentment, and low self-esteem
Getting a coffee would use what of the 5 senses?
Taste, smell, touch
What is belly breathing?
Involves deep, slow breaths, inhaling deeply through the nose while feeling your belly rise, exhaling slowly through the mouth while your belly falls
What is act opposite?
Doing the opposite of what your emotions tell you to do, especially when those emotions are unhelpful. The goal is to decrease the intensity of the emotion by changing your behavior until the feeling subsides
What are assertiveness skills?
Assertiveness skills give you the tools to seek what you need in relationships, set limits, and negotiate conflicts without anger or coercive efforts to control others or the situation
Why is self-soothing important?
It is important for emotional regulation, stress reduction, and overall mental health, provides comfort during distress and builds resilience
What is Wise Mind?
Balances emotion and reason, helps you make healthy decisions, balance between emotional mind and your reasonable mind
How are emotions and behaviors linked?
Stronger emotions often lead to bigger behavioral reactions. Many people with overwhelming feelings also struggle with out-of-control behaviors. Many behaviors are repeated because they are rewarded. Emotions can serve as rewards that reinforce your behavior
What is negotiation?
This is a compromise that serves to better the quality of the relationship. The needs of both parties are valid. The point of this skill is to set an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect