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  • Writer's pictureLex Ellis (he/she/they)

DBT Mindfulness: How to Begin




Mindfulness is such a helpful and essential tool in your DBT work. It's so important to practice mindfulness in your daily life. Getting started with anything new that isn't your norm can be difficult. As a person with ADHD and C-PTSD, I know that feeling very well.

An excellent way to look at it is like a "check-in" on yourself throughout the day. It makes you stop and take note of your current situation and your physical and emotional response to it. There are a few ways to do this, and you need to find what's best for you.

An option for mindfulness practice is guided mindful meditation. Being taken through the process while you sit back with your eyes closed for a few moments is an amazing way to get back in your own body and mind. YouTube is an excellent source for this as they have numerous free guided meditation videos.

Another option is a physical journal and a specific time to write in it each day, perhaps with alarms set. There are even guided mindfulness journals, so just like the videos walk you through it vocally, the mindfulness journal has prompts for you to answer. Mindfulness journals are sold at many stores now and online. I grabbed my favorite mindfulness journal from a discount store, and it was less than $5.




If those options don't work for you, you can download an app on your phone and do your mindfulness exercises on the go. You can download apps that will remind you that it's time for a mindful check during your day. I use a journaling app for mindful journaling. Day One journal app is a great resource and very easily navigated. You can make your own journals or choose a type of journal and prompt.

Mindfulness exercises are a stepping stone to self-awareness, and in self-awareness, we can begin to rewire our ways of reacting. These exercises are a foundation to the ever-evolving work we do every day in our minds to make our lives better. Don't forget to check in with yourself.

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