Instead of making New Year’s resolutions this year, think about using the momentum of the new year to make changes in your life that are aligned with your values. 

Often New Year’s resolutions come from a place of shame or deficiency, a place of trying to fix what’s “wrong” with you. What if you made changes in your life based on what’s most important to you rather than “fixing” what’s wrong? This is where values come in.

The DBT skill called Accumulating Positive Emotions in the Long Term can help you experience more positive emotions more often by aligning your life with your values. In today’s episode, Marielle and Ed take a deep dive into the skill.

Show Highlights

• Access your Wise Mind when assessing your values
• What’s actually important to you vs. what you think SHOULD be important
• Your values and priorities can shift as you go through different seasons in your life
• This skill outlines a step by step process to make your values a reality in your life
• Avoid avoiding 
• Pick one value to focus on at a time
• Identify a few goals related to this value 
• Bite-size action steps
• Take action!

 

Links & Resources

DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition

Ask Us a Question!

We’d love to hear from you! Where are you getting stuck with your skills application? Ask us a question for the chance to have it answered on the podcast. Submit your question here. 

Please note that questions, and this podcast in general, are not a substitute for individual mental health treatment.

To learn more about DBT and therapy in general, read our blog.