These are a Few of My Favourite Tools! Over the course of therapy, you’ll learn many skills that you may find helpful in managing your symptoms and allowing you to focus on living a meaningful life no matter what kind of inner experiences your mind sends your way. Here are some of my favourites…
Mindfulness/Meditation Tools:
Some people feel anxious about the word “mindfulness” & it often gets confused with meditation. Mindfulness involves any activity that you put your full attention towards in the present moment with a stance of openness and non-judgment. Meditation involves adding something specific for you to focus on such as a phrase, object, or concept.
| Doing a daily activity with mindfulness (eating, chores, walking, playing) |
| Using 5 senses to ground to the present moment & place |
| Focusing on the breath (e.g., box breathing) |
| Appreciating your body (hand-tracing, self-massage) |
| Meditation focusing on an object (“Personal Anchor”), pet, or loved one |
| Self-compassion practices (“Kind Hands” or compassion meditating phrases) |
ACT Tools:
I encourage clients to “tuck it or chuck it” when it comes to choosing favourite tools for your own personal “toolkit”. If it works for you, awesome! Keep it handy. If it doesn’t work, feel free to chuck it out (or maybe keep it in mind to try again at a later date). It’s about what’s most effective for you.
| Name the Story, Thoughts on Cards, TIMES |
| Notice thoughts as thoughts & name them |
| Drop Anchor (ACE – Acknowledge, Connect, Engage) |
| Values (Bulls-eye, 100th Birthday), Choice Point, functional analysis |
| Physicalizing |
| Defusion exercises (Conveyer belt, leaves on a stream, etc.) |
DBT Tools:
Some skills will work well when you’re in a very distressed state of mind whereas other skills require you to be relatively grounded already. For examples, DBT TIPP Skills like “Tip the Temperature” work extremely well when you are in crisis; also called the “dive reflex”, it can immediately reduce your physical symptoms of anxiety. Mindfulness and meditation practices run the full spectrum – some can be accessed in any state of mind & with virtually no time commitment.
| TIPP the Temperature (a.k.a. “Dive reflex”) |
| Progressive Muscle Mindfulness (a.k.a. “body scan”) |
| Paced breathing (exhale slightly longer than inhale) |
| Chain Link Analysis & Missing Links |
| Wise Mind, “Clear Mind”, Dialectical thinking (balance, walk the middle path) |
| Relationship Skills (DEAR MAN GIVE FAST) |
What’s in your toolkit?
What are your favourite tools? What skills have you learned in therapy (or elsewhere) that have been the most effective for various situations and states of mind?
- Therapy tools for daily well-being – Skills you engage in regularly and pro-actively for optimal self-care & well-being.
- Therapy tools to manage stress – Skills you engage in to manage stress when you notice difficult inner experiences.
- Therapy tools for crisis situations – Skills that help you regulate emotions & manage extreme distress.
- Therapy tools for relationships & situations – Skills that help you with your relationships & to manage stressful external life events.
You can find these skills in one handy printable “A Few of My Favourite Tools” worksheet on the Free Resources page!