DBT - ACCEPTS

It just dawned on me, as I was doing the dishes, that I hadn't explained what ACCEPTS is (see, can't even settle doing dishes).

In DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy), they use a lot of acronyms.  ACCEPTS is one of them.  It is to be used when you are in the middle of an "attack", to keep you from doing the maladaptive (not good) behaviour.  For me, right now, the attack is panic attack, where normally, I would over eat, have a drink, cut, or pop a pill.  So, instead of that, to get me over the panic attack without using those behaviours, I use ACCEPTS.

ACCEPTS stands for

Activity - doing something with my hands and body. This could involve house work, exercise, colouring, typing on the computer.  Just doing something.

Contribute - Search for stuff to give to other people who need stuff more than yourself. 

Compare - (this one I can't really do) Think of someone worse off than yourself and realize things aren't that bad

Emotion - Use opposite emotion to make you feel better.  I could put on calming music for right now, trying to bring out the opposite to what I am feeling right now.

Pushing away - I still don't understand this one.

Thoughts - I still don't understand this one.

Sensations -  I still don't understand this one.

As you can see, I still have a lot to learn.  So for right now, I am going to do the activities.  Dishes, maybe walk to the drug store to pick up some meds that I ordered yesterday, anything so I don't pop a pill, cut or eat everything in the house.