#DBT

EP 34: Utilizing PLEASE(D) Skills to Manage Stress & Mood

Hello! Dr. L here, bringing you another episode of Mindful Living. Yessss, I am a day late. Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

On this episode I bring you the acronym, PLEASE! PLEASE was originally an acronym for skills within Dr. Marsha Linehan’s Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I found an updated version of this acronym called PLEASED. Many scholars, psychologists and mental health professionals have since created updated versions of DBT and its tools and techniques. One such author is Lane Pederson, who wrote The Expanded Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Training Manual (Second Edition, 2017). In this version, PLEASED (yep, a D was added) stands for the following:

P: Physical Health
L: List resources and barriers
E: Eat balanced meals
A: Avoid drugs and alcohol
S: Sleep between 7 and 10 hours
E: Exercise for 20 to 60 minutes a few days per week
D: Daily (Use PLEASED skills daily)

I provide my definition and opinions for each letter of the acronym. For the exact definitions of PLEASE from Marsha Linehan, this information is found free online, as well as many other mental health professional’s version of this acronym.

I hope this episode helps you in some way! Until next time. 🙂

IG: @drcecilialopez
Email: cecilia@drcecilialopez.com
Business email: contact@drcecilialopez.com
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Lane Pederson, PsyD, LP, DBTC is not affiliated or associated with Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, ABPP, or her organization.

EP 31- A Tip Called TIP: Grounding The Body During Anxiety or Anger

Hello! This is a short and sweet episode which provides a popular Dialectical Behavioral Therapy tool called TIP!

TIP is a great way to ground the body when you feel overwhelmed, especially with anxiety or anger. This technique helps calm various parts of the body which may be activated during a fight-or-flight response, such as reducing muscle tension and burning energy brought on by adrenaline. TIP stands for the following:

T: Tip the temperature
I: Intense exercise
P: Paired progressive muscle relaxation

I hope you enjoy this quick explanation of the technique and you find it useful! Also, please share this episode with someone you think may need it and, if you found this episode helpful, leave a review!

You can find us on Apple or Google Podcasts, Spotify and Podcast Addict! Enjoy!

EP 21- Managing Assumptions & Difficult Emotions: Using The Motto “Guess Less, Ask More, Wait & See”

Hello! On this episode Dr. L discusses her motto, “Guess less, ask more, wait and see.”

She discusses the following:

-The power of investigating and exploring to combat assumptions which cause anxiety, depression, anger, and any uncomfortable emotion in between.

-Being mindful of “filling in the gaps of the unknown” through future thinking, and how to keep your imagination in check (if it causes you anxiety or other uncomfortable emotions).

-Examples of exploring/asking questions to combat worrisome thoughts of the past, and waiting and see how things unfold to combat worrisome thoughts of the future.

If you enjoyed this episode please let Dr. L know in the comment section of her IGTV (where you can find this latest episode) on Instagram and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to give her a follow on IG and Tik Tok @drcecilialopez for more content on mental health and wellness. She is also accepting new therapy clients (California residents) and to inquire further you may email her at cecilia@drcecilialopez.com. For all other business inquiries please send an email to contact@drcecilialopez.com.

Ep 16- Mindfulness Practice for Your Fitness Journey (and more) with Maximos George

Today’s episode is VERY special as I had the privilege of being a guest on another fab podcast called Fitness Mindset Podcast with Maximos George, and he was gracious enough to let me share the episode with YOU.
A little about the Maximos:
Maximos George is a fitness coach who is passionate about movement. He has a diverse background including bodybuilding, calisthenics, martial arts, theatre and eastern practices, and his background influences him to create a more holistic approach to physical training. Maximos doesn’t see fitness as just a means to a dream physique, but more of a practice to improve ourselves overall by increasing mental and physical strength while challenging the body and mind. Through his teachings, he helps people get physically and mentally stronger while simultaneously building a physique that functions as good as it looks.

On this episode we cover the following topics:

-Our description of mindfulness
-How to use mindfulness during the fitness journey (especially when experiencing challenges)
-Mindful eating and how this may help with portion control
-Riding waves of craving and emotions with mindfulness

Please give Maximos a follow on IG @MaximosGeorge_ and TikTok @Maximos_George and check out his p

Enjoy!

EP 15- Sherry Bonoan Asuncion on the Power of Choice, Self-Love and the Healing Journey

On this 15th episode we have Sherry Asuncion!

Sherry is an example of the importance of practicing mindfulness and self love. She is certified as a Gut Health Coach, Mindfulness and Meditation Instructor & Life Coach, Reiki II and Theta Healer Practitioner, CBD/Cannabis Coach and provider of beautiful & unique crystals. After suffering in silence for 5 yrs with mystery symptoms, she was diagnosed with Hashimotos, an autoimmune thyroid disease, which eventually led her to leave her 12 year career in the public sector and go back to school and obtain her certifications to start her businesses. Her path led her to yet another challenge to overcome when her 13 yr marriage came to a traumatic ending. This is when she began her journey to awakening, following her spiritual healing path. She believes in the practice of mindfulness and the importance of self/unconditional love with oneself in order to obtain happiness within and embrace the opportunities that the world has to offer.

This episode covers the following topics and points:

-Sherry’s definition of mindfulness and early experiences with learning the practice

-Her journey of triumph after experiencing trauma from a relationship

-Choosing yourself over the expectations of others

-Self-love, self-compassion, and self-acceptance

-An explanation of love and kindness exercises from Sherry’s self-love related classes

-A step-by-step explanation of a mirror work activity for improved self-love and acceptance

-The power of CHOICE, perspective, energetic release and meditation

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did! Please check Sherry out and connect with her via IG and FB @resilienthealthcoach and resilienthealthcoach.com.

“Love Yourself!”
-Sherry

EP 9- A Perspective on Imposter Syndrome

In this episode I discuss the following:

-A brief description on what Imposter Syndrome is

-My perspective on this syndrome from a cognitive behavioral and schema therapy framework

-Educational information on ways to move THROUGH the thoughts and feelings associated with imposter syndrome

-How to “build the faith” in your capabilities, competencies, skills and overall worth

For anyone who listens to this, know that I appreciate you SO much.

Dr. L

EP 6- Stress vs. Anxiety

This episode covers the following:

-The difference between stress and anxiety

-Controlling responses to stressors with mindfulness

-Controlling responses to stressors with thought reframing

-Examples of acceptance versus thought reframing and why these are helpful

Grounding Your Body In A Crisis

What exactly is a crisis?

According to the awesome Dr. Marsha Linehan, creator of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), a crisis is considered a highly stressful, short-term (meaning it isn’t going to last forever) situation that causes a sense of pressure to resolve the crisis immediately. A crisis situation is subjective, as not everyone views every situation the same. For example, giving a presentation in front of your boss and the team while you’re also afraid of public speaking may seem like a crisis to one person, but not another. Realizing you can’t pay your rent this month may seem like a crisis to one person, but not another. You get my point. During a crisis, we can use distress tolerance tools when we feel intense emotional discomfort (anxiety, panic, anger) which also can lead to discomfort in the body (e.g. rapid heartbeat, hyperventilating, dizziness, tunnel vision). We should especially use tools when we feel like this and still need to GET. STUFF. DONE (e.g. take your kids to school, work, attend class). Dr. Marsha Linehan calls tools to help these types of situations “Crisis Survival Skills.” One acronym she created is TIP, which stands for Tip the Temperature, Intense Exercise, Paced Breathing and Paired Muscle relaxation.

One way to sort of “shock your system” out of a fight-flight response is to use cold water with the Tip the Temperature technique. It is suggested to hold your breath and dunk your face in a bowl of cold water, but I also think putting hands or feet in cold water or taking a cold shower is effective. From my knowledge, I know that shocking yourself with cold water immediately stops whatever thought process you’re having that is contributing to interpreting your situation as a crisis (how very CBT of me lol), which can help slow down or stop the fight-flight response. It also increases alertness and helps you focus if you’re starting to panic or experience intense emotions to the point of feeling overwhelmed.

In regard to Intense Exercise, when we are in a fight-flight response (experiencing anxiety, panic, and even anger) we need to do something with all those chemicals our body is releasing to keep us safe from danger (our body is trying to do us a favor, but little does it know that giving a presentation is not an immediate life-or-death situation). Use that energy to avoid that shaky, dizzy, lightheaded feeling we can get when feeling overwhelmed. Go for a brisk walk, do pushups, jumping jacks, jog, shake about like a little kid who has heard music for the first time. Sometimes I stand on my tippy toes and pulse over and over as a way to burn off excess adrenaline. Try it. 😉

With Paced Breathing, in a nutshell you need to breathe DEEP, SLOW, FULLY, and WITH YOUR BELLY. Push your belly out as you inhale and keep going (slowly) until your lungs fill up fully, then exhale (slowly) with your mouth the size of a Cheerio until all the air is gone, and repeat. A trick is to breathe in 4 seconds every round, and breathe out longer than you breathe in (so breathing out 5, 6 or 7 seconds, every round). You will notice I state this breathing method A LOT in my posts. It activates your parasympathetic system which is key to calming down in a crisis situation.

Regarding the Paired Muscle Relaxation, the DBT technique indicates you tense your body muscles while breathing IN with your belly, and releasing your muscles as you exhale. If you want a different method of relaxing muscles, I suggest actually clenching various parts of your body (feet, calves, gluteus [yep, your butt], stomach, back, raise your shoulders up toward your ears, make fists with your hands, and scrunch of your face TIGHT), and hold for 15 seconds, then release. Aaaaahhhh…feels good.

I obviously added my own spin on some of these as this is all a collaborative effort. I want you all to have as much control over yourself as possible, and when faced with a crisis it is imperative to ground your body so you can GET. STUFF. DONE.

You are all amazing. Don’t forget.

Love,

Dr. L