My Favorite Ways to Practice Wise Mind ACCEPTS

Wise Mind ACCEPTS is a Distress Tolerance DBT skill meant to be used when you're experiencing acute distress. It's a skill you can use instead of a Target Behavior like self-harm or substance use. It's also colloquially known as the distract skill.

ACCEPTS is an acronym that stands for Activities, Contribute, Comparison, Emotions, Pushing Away, Thoughts, and Sensations. You can choose any of the actions from a single letter and you are not expected to do one from each of the letters like some other DBT acronyms. Select an option, try it out, see if it helps and if you're still in distress, try another!

This is a skill many folks rely on early in their DBT journey. It's a relatively simple skill that can be utilized in a variety of settings. It's important not to over-use the skill, however. Distraction can turn into avoidance easily, so use your Wise Mind to make sure you're not avoiding your distress. This skill is to get through a moment, not a whole life. That being said, many of these activities can turn into daily hobbies that build into your Life Worth Living - but the intention behind them is different in that case, as well as length of practice.

I definitely used ACCEPTS a lot during my early DBT journey and I still use it now without even thinking when I'm in distress. Here are my favorite ways to use the skill. Remember to perform whatever your choice is mindfully, focusing fully on the task at hand.

Activities

• Watching my favorite movie or TV show

• Having a little dance party to upbeat music

• Moving my body in some way (QiGong video, taking a walk, exercise, etc.)

• Coloring or otherwise being creative

• Cleaning

• Going to browse the library

• Going out to get a little treat

Contribute

• Caring for my plants

• Brushing my cat

• Texting a friend to see how they're doing or offer encouragement

• Baking a treat for someone

Comparison

• Reflecting on how far I've come

• Reflecting on what I can do now that I couldn't do earlier in my healing journey

• Practicing gratitude that my basic needs are met

Emotions

• Watching funny or cute videos

• Listening to music that makes me feel good

• Having a good cry

Pushing Away

• Imagining putting my distress in a box, locking it, and putting it on a rocket or catapult into space

• Other cognitive defusion exercises like Conveyor Belt

Thoughts

• Singing a song or piece of a song repeatedly

• Counting floor or ceiling tiles (works well at the doctor or dentist, for example)

• Reciting my ABCs

• Counting backwards

Sensations

• Taking a shower or bath

• Stretching

• Mindfully applying lotion

• Cuddling with my cat

• Making coffee, tea, or cocoa

• Sucking on a hard candy