Accepting Distress Worksheet Template (Page 8 of 10) in pdf

Facing Your Feelings

Personalised Mindfulness of Distress Script

Recognise & Allow Emotion:

Watch Emotion:

Be Present:

Deal with Emotional Comebacks:

Now you know how to watch your emotions generally, and have a script for how to adopt this attitude

when distressing emotions arise, it is now time to get some practice with the emotions that distress you.

There are 2 ways we can get this practice. One is putting what you have learnt into practice as best you

can the next time distressing emotions spontaneously arise for you. The other method is to gradually seek

out distressing emotions with the intention of practicing your new acceptance skills. The first option we

will look at now, the second option we will look at in Module 4.

The Next Time I Am Distressed…

This involves having a clear plan for the next time you feel distressed. You might

make a commitment to yourself that the next time I feel distressed I will get out my

personalised mindfulness script and try to watch my distress instead of engaging in

my old escape methods (e.g., avoidance, numbing & withdrawing, harmful releases).

If you think this will be a very difficult thing to do, you may decide to put a time limit

on how long you will try to be mindful of your distressing emotions (e.g., “I will just

do it for 5mins to start off with, at the end of those 5mins I will see if I can try it for

another 5mins”). In this way you can gradually and gently start to ‘expose’ yourself

to the distress you have been dreading. If you get to the end of your time limit and

find you just can’t go any longer being mindful of your distress, that is OK, you have

made a start at accepting rather than avoiding your distress. If this is the case, try using skills from the next

Module (Improving Distress), rather than going back to your old escape methods.

Having made this plan to be mindful of your distress next time it arises, be aware if there is anything you

will need to make your plan work. For example, a timer if you are setting a limit on how long you will

practice being mindful of your distress. Also, consider the best place to keep your mindfulness script so it

is easily accessible to you no matter where you are when you next feel distressed (e.g., on the fridge,

stored in your mobile phone, on a piece of paper in your wallet). Take a moment to think about the

logistics of making your plan work. Good luck!

Please note. If the distress you experience is extremely intense unbearable emotional pain,

such that you are currently unable to apply the acceptance strategies outlined in this module,

then skip ahead to the next module on tips for how to improve your distress. This is

particularly relevant for people who engage in self-harm, or drug and alcohol use to manage

their distress.

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Module 2: Accepting Distress

nterventions

• Psychotherapy • Research • Training

Accepting Distress Worksheet Template Page 8