The Body's Alarm System
This "F" word describes the body’s urge to run away when it senses danger.
What is Flight?
This trap involves assuming the worst possible outcome will happen, even if it’s unlikely.
What is Catastrophizing?
This grounding technique involves naming 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 hear, 2 smell, and 1 taste.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique?
Using these types of "statements" helps you express feelings without sounding like you're attacking the other person.
What are "I" Statements?
True or False: Asking a friend if they are thinking about self-harm will "put the idea in their head."
What is False? (It actually often provides relief).
This almond-shaped part of your brain acts like a smoke detector, alerting you to potential threats.
What is the Amygdala?
When you think someone is mad at you without any proof, you are practicing this "superpower" trap.
What is Mind Reading?
This type of breathing involves inhaling for 4, holding for 4, exhaling for 4, and holding for 4.
What is Box Breathing?
This communication style involves standing up for yourself while still being respectful of others.
What is Assertive?
This "happy chemical" in the brain is often linked to feelings of reward and motivation.
What is Dopamine?
When you're stressed, your heart beats faster to pump this to your muscles so you can move quickly.
What is Blood (or Oxygen)?
This "all-or-nothing" trap happens when you feel like a total failure just because you made one small mistake.
What is Black-and-White Thinking?
These are the boundaries you set to protect your time, energy, and feelings from others.
What are Personal Boundaries?
This "red flag" behavior involves one person trying to control who the other person talks to or hangs out with.
What is Isolation (or Controlling behavior)?
This is the term for the ability to bounce back and keep going after a difficult experience.
What is Resilience?
This is the physical sensation of "butterflies," often caused by the digestive system slowing down during stress.
What is Nausea (or Stomach tightness)?
Using words like "always" and "never" to describe your life is known as this.
What is Overgeneralizing?
This "TIPP" skill involves using ice or cold water to quickly lower your heart rate.
What is Temperature?
This is the act of truly listening to someone and showing them that you understand their perspective, even if you don't agree.
What is Validation?
True or False: You can physically feel "grief" in your body, not just in your mind.
What is True?
This term describes when your brain perceives a social threat (like a "seen" text with no reply) the same way it perceives a physical threat.
What is Emotional Hijacking (or Amygdala Hijack)?
This trap involves ignoring all the good things that happened and only focusing on the one bad thing.
What is Mental Filtering?
This term refers to "opposite action"—doing the reverse of what your negative emotion is telling you to do.
What is a DBT Skill (or Opposite Action)?
In a conflict, this is the "cooling off" period you take before things get too heated to handle.
What is a Time-out (or Self-regulation break)?
This is the clinical term for the "window" where you feel most able to handle your emotions without flipping out or shutting down.
What is the Window of Tolerance?