Build a Life Worth Living Through Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy?

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) helps increase resilience to difficult emotions and teaches skills to replace unfavorable behaviors by learning how to accept and change. Through DBT, a client will learn how to participate with awareness instead of reaction, which will lead to a life worth living.

How to Create a Life Worth Living

Identify What Brings You Joy

Many clients come to therapy because they are feeling unmotivated, empty, or confused about who they are. It is often difficult to identify what makes us happy or joyful when we are feeling low, so we often feel defeated. It is important to give yourself space to learn about the things that bring you joy. This could look like hobbies, such as reading, cooking, or art. This could also look like other interests, such as physical activity or spending time with others.

Identify Struggles

In order for an individual to create a life worth living, they will also need to identify their areas of struggles. Emotional dysregulation or the inability to regulate difficult emotions is a common struggle that individuals face. On top of that, the environment that we live in can also affect how we learn to manage our emotions in difficult situations.

Identify Goals for Inside and Outside Therapy

It is important to be aware of areas to improve on during our time in therapy, as well as for outside of therapy. Goal setting is a crucial and beneficial part to building a life worth living because it allows us to view the life we want for ourselves. Through DBT, individuals will focus on setting goals around living in the moment, understanding and regulating emotions, developing coping skills for stress, and improving relationships with ourselves and others.

“We can’t change if we don’t accept that there needs to be a change”