General STEPPS
STEPPS ACRONYM
What is Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving?
The first skill in managing an emotional episode is to notice what is happening and take a step back.
What is distancing?
You believe you are not capable of performing as well as your peers in areas like work, education, or sports. People with this filter may feel stupid, useless, untalented, or ignorant, and often do not try to achieve because they believe they will fail.
What is failure to achieve?
Things are all or nothing, no shades of gray
What is all-or nothing thinking?
Helps you organize and move in a more positive direction. Let go of unrealistic expectations and commit to changing your behavior.
What is setting goals?
Describing and understanding EID
What is Awareness of BPD/EID?
Objectively accept the emotion, then objectively describe what you notice. Name the emotion, do not judge the emotion.
What is communicating?
You believe anyone who comes close to you will eventually leave you.
What is abandonment?
You blow things out of proportion
What is magnification?
Go to bed and get up at approximately the same time each day, keep the bedroom quiet and dark enough to promote sleep, develop a bedtime routine
What is sleeping?
Framework for keeping track of emotional intensity (feelings, physical sensations, thoughts, filters, actions urges, helpful and unhelpful behavior)
What is the Emotional Intensity Continuum?
Question your own thoughts when you suspect they may be distorted and/or negative
What is challenging?
You believe you should be able to do, say or have whatever you want- right now regardless of whether it hurts others or seems unreasonable to them.
What is entitlement?
You relate an event to yourself when there is no basis for doing so
What is personalization?
It is importance to maintain balance in your life. Laughter and enjoyment have a way of bringing balance back to your life, helping to reduce anxiety and depression. Care enough for yourself to schedule time for recreation.
What is leisure?
People to help reinforce your skills. People you can rely on to help you identify which skill you need in a specific situation during an emotional episode.
What is the Reinforcement Team?
Make your self do something helpful and positive. Practice positive affirmations, cheerleading statements, and self-soothing activities.
What is distracting?
I am able to handle day-to-day difficulties independently. I can make decisions without depending excessively on others to make decisions for me.
What is competence?
You hold others responsible for your pain, or blame yourself for every problem you run into
What is blaming?
Overcome harmful behaviors that have become habits, you are acting, not reacting, you are adopting helpful coping skills (rather than using unhealthy behaviors)
What is abuse avoidance?
Important beliefs or ideas about oneself and the world, but are not necessarily truth
What are filters?
Make no major decisions during an emotional intensity episode. Recognize there is a problem and look at the long-term consequences of both helpful and unhelpful behaviors.
What is managing problems?
I can understand and manage my emotional state. Emotions are signals – a way for my mind to communicate to me. I can use my emotions as information. I do not have to react impulsively to emotional states.
What is emotion management?
You ignore information that challenges your negative attitude, often finding quick and clever ways to discount any positive information
What is disqualifying the positive?
You are willing to work though conflicts in a positive way, you establish and maintain healthy boundaries, you break away from negative or abusive relationships/situations, and you do not make yourself responsible for others’ feelings.
What is healthy relationships?