This the second of two blogposts by Amanda Stutz describes her precious insight into the nature of our triggers and how we can work with them. In the words of Jon Kabat-Zinn, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
“To paddle out into the ocean, again to explore the depths and beauty it offers, but this time with a surf board, can allow for a totally different experience. As the waves approach, a “wave” of fear may come over you, but you can prevent yourself from being engulfed by the waves if you climb onto your surf board, paddle yourself into position, stand firmly atop your board, and catch a ride on the approaching wave. No longer does the wave have to take you down, but you can ride the wave back to the safety of the shore.
Dr. Marsha Linehan of The Linehan Institute, developed a cognitive behavioral treatment known as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT. This form of therapeutic treatment includes four types of behavioral skills sets that are taught to individuals in DBT programs. Individuals participating in DBT programs often struggle with substance abuse, suicidality, self-injurious behavior, eating disorders, addiction, and more.
Many of us struggle with urges to engage in these and other unhealthy coping skills, and could benefit from some of the skills taught in traditional DBT programs and relapse prevention programs like those developed by Marsha Linehan and Adam Marlatt.
Some skills that can be helpful in cultivating internal resources and the ability to “surf the urge”:
1. Observe and Describe: Notice the thoughts, feelings and urges and describe them to yourself without acting on them. Sitting with your internal experience rather than suppressing or numbing can help you build distress tolerance and the ability abstain from acting on your urges to engage in unhealthy coping mechanisms.
2. Non-Judgmentally: When you notice that you’re experiencing a negative thought, emotion, or urge just notice it and accept it without judgment. Judgment of your internal experience can be shaming and is less likely to lead to acceptance and understanding of yourself and your experience.
3. “Single-Tasking”: Multi-tasking involves doing many things at once and is not the most effective or mindful way of behaving. Instead, try “single-tasking”- doing one thing at a time in a mindful manner.
4. Observe Your Breath: When you start to feel overwhelmed with thoughts, emotions, or urges, bring your awareness to your breathing. A few minutes of mindful breathing, taking the time to observe and describe your breath, can allow you some moments of calm and peace. When you return to the distressing thought or feeling, you may notice that it is not as intense and that your urge to engage in unhelpful behaviors has decreased.
5. Building Mastery: Do something positive that gives you a sense of control and competency. This could be practicing yoga asanas, taking a class, doing crafts, or spending time engaging in your favorite hobby.
These and other such skills can be cultivated autonomously, but sometimes we could benefit from additional support with a problem and finding ways to overcome it. As a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Missouri, I am trained in teaching these and other DBT and mindfulness-based skills. I have experience treating posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and much more. I am also a yoga teacher, and provide private in-home sessions focused on helping individuals to work through issues related to stress and negative body image.”
If you could benefit from Amanda Stutz’s counseling services or from private yoga sessions, please contact her at 314-375-6601.
For more information about Clayton Yoga Teacher Training, please call us 314-630-1677 .
Namaste and happy “surfing.”
Coping skills (3), (4), and (5) are some of my personal favorites. I often try to multi-task so much that if I don’t complete everything I intended to do I usually develop some kind of anxiety or overwhelming feeling. Practicing yoga has helped me learn to take things a day at a time and to take time during the day to reflect on how I am feeling.
Having family members who have experience addition, I find myself searching for things that can help both the addict and those who need help dealing with the struggles that. find the similarities between the coping skills given and common meditaion techniques notable and I can see how these two sets of skills can be useful in any situation. Step 1 and 2: Observation – Reminds me of my meditation process to learn to become aware of the feelings or thoughts that float into our minds, accept them for what they are, then let the thoughts pass through. Step 3: Single tasking – Reminds me of finding the singular point to return our concentation to. Step 4: Observing your breath – Breathing is one of the most critical peices within my meditation practice. Step 5: Building Mastery – Finding successes in technique helps me in meditation.
Having family members who have experienced addiction, I find myself searching for things that can help both the addict and those who need help dealing with the struggles resulting from the addiction. I found this article very useful and even more so because of the similarities between the coping skills given and my common yoga meditation techniques. My meditation practice includes observation – I become aware of the feelings or thoughts that float into my mind, accept them for what they are, then let the thoughts pass through. My practice includes single tasking – Finding the singular point to return my concentration to. It involves observing my breath – Breathing is one of the most critical peices within my meditation practice. And always I work on building mastery – Finding successes in technique helps me in meditation. This article gives me a starting point to help my loved ones suffering from addition to “Surf the Urge” by including them into my yoga practices and helping them with a meditation practice.