Emotional Regulation Skills

DBT Emotional Regulation is all about managing our emotions rather than being managed by them. It teaches us how emotions work and empowers individuals to manage intense and overwhelming emotions effectively. Emotional regulation includes strategies and skills that teach acceptance and change to cope with current situations instead of avoiding them.

What we need to understand is how emotions are important to help us understand an experience or an emotional crisis. Through various DBT techniques under the framework of emotional regulation, we can learn to understand and tolerate emotions, reduce our vulnerability to negative emotions, and modulate them. The emotional regulation module encompasses strategies such as opposite action, where individuals are encouraged to act in ways that are contrary to their emotional urges, fostering emotional balance. It helps us explore ways to practice self-soothing techniques and cultivate emotional intelligence to navigate life’s challenges for resilience and well-being. DBT Emotional Intelligence consists of the following categories:

Common DBT Questions for Emotional Regulation Skills

  1. Can you describe a recent situation where you struggled to regulate your emotions? What skills did you try to use, if any?
  2. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your ability to identify and label your emotions accurately? What makes you give this rating?
  3. What’s your go-to method for calming yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed? How effective has it been lately?
  4. Have you noticed any patterns in terms of situations or triggers that consistently lead to emotional dysregulation for you?
  5. How comfortable do you feel expressing your emotions to others? Are there certain emotions you find particularly challenging to express?
  6. Can you walk me through how you might apply the “check the facts” skill to a recent emotional situation you experienced?
  7. What has been your experience with practicing mindfulness as a way to regulate your emotions? What challenges have you faced?
  8. How often do you find yourself judging your emotions? Can you give an example of how this self-judgment impacts you?
  9. In what ways have you been able to increase positive emotions in your life recently? What’s been most effective?
  10. Can you describe a time when you successfully used the opposite action skill? What was the outcome?
  11. How has your understanding of the connection between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors changed since starting DBT?
  12. What aspect of emotional regulation do you find most challenging? What do you think you need to work on most?