My Favorite Ways to Use the DBT Skill IMPROVE the Moment

Kat Schultz
3 days ago
3 min read

IMPROVE the Moment is a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Distress Tolerance skill meant to be used when you are in crisis. It can help make the present moment a tiny bit more bearable so you can get through it.

DBT is a synthesis of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Zen Buddhism. It incorporates the foundation of CBT with mindfulness skills. It's used to treat emotion dysregulation and self-destructive behaviors, among other mental health struggles. At the end of this post there are ways to learn DBT skills with us.

IMPROVE the Moment is an acronym skills where you choose one way to practice one of the letters. There are a lot of different ways to use this skill. Here are my favorite ways to practice it myself.

I: Imagery

Imagery can mean looking at or imagining something you find beautiful or calming. However, it can also mean imagining yourself coping successfully with the situation you're facing. That's how I use it. Whatever I'm dealing with at the moment, I imagine it going well and all working out. Sometimes I even imagine that happening a few different ways. That helps calm me down and I can always add other skills to support myself.

M: Meaning

Creating meaning doesn't mean you approve of the distress you're feeling or the struggle you're facing. It's just a way to find some inspiration or strength in the moment. It's like the phrase, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Make something out of a bad situation. One thing I like to do to create meaning is to connect myself to the big picture, to the grand universe. Sometimes it's as easy as looking up to the sky and taking a few deep breaths to remind myself that there's more than this upsetting moment.

P: Prayer

Many folks who are religious find prayer comforting when they're in distress. I'm not religious myself, but I like to connect with loved ones who have passed on in times of distress. What would my beloved grandmother say to me right now? What would it feel like to get one of her hugs in this moment? These thoughts bring me strength to get through the distress.

R: Relaxation

I enjoy plenty of things that bring relaxation. However, when I'm actively in distress, I like to practice diaphragmatic breathing which brings big breaths deep into my belly. I take a big inhale down into my rib cage and belly and then release it slowly. 3-5 of these breaths give me time to settle and reorient towards surviving the distress.

O: One Thing in the Moment

This part of the skill is really about focusing on only one thing at a time. Don't multitask, especially when using a coping skill. For me, I try to step away from my phone for a moment when I'm using the other parts of this skill. I don't look at it for the time it takes for me to do the diaphragmatic breathing, for example. This prevents my distress from multiplying exponentially.

V: Vacation

Vacation doesn't have to be a week-long trip to the beach. It's really just about taking a step back from your usual obligations, whether that's for a moment or for half a day. When I'm having an awful time, I like to take an hour or two and tuck myself in blankets on the couch with a snack and some tea and watch an episode or two of a favorite show (this also counts as the DBT skill ACCEPTS!). I don't answer (non-emergency) calls or messages, just for that amount of time and try not to worry about what's on my plate.

E: Encouragement

Encouragement can look different for every individual. Some people like mantras, others prefer cheerleading statements. Personally, I repeat the phrase "I can do hard things" to myself over and over again and I really try to believe it. I've survived hard things before and will again!

We teach these and other skills as part of our DBT trainings for mental health providers and you can learn them for yourself in our self-paced DBT skills course.