Philadelphia DBT: Want to feel happier? Try This Mindfulness Skill.

DBT Skills Training in Philadelphia

Have you been trying to find or feel more happiness in your life? Well, you’re in luck, because today, I’m going to talk about how to bring you closer to being happier in your life.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve created a blog post series on DBT Core Mindfulness Skills. If you’re interested in or missed the previous posts, you can click HERE, HERE, HERE, or HERE to read them in full.

DBT Core Mindfulness Skill of Participating

When I teach DBT Core Mindfulness Skills, the overall goal for learning those skills is to bring you to a life of participating. The DBT skill of participating is the last of the DBT “What” Skills.

What does it mean to participate?

It means completely throwing yourself into whatever it is you’re doing. You become one with the activity; become one with life. It means you are fully participating in life. You are an active participant in your life instead of mindlessly going through life unaware. It’s becoming one with your own life.

DBT mindfulness practice of participating

Are you someone who typically engages in life or are you, perhaps someone who often sits on the sidelines of your own life?

Maybe you’ve noticed how people who play sports or exercise become what they’re doing. Maybe this applies to you.

For instance, when you’re running, you become running. Or perhaps you’re a musician. When you’re playing your instrument, singing in a group, performing, or even as a music producer, I’m going to guess you become one with the instrument or the music you’re creating or producing. Again, practicing mindful participation is when you become what you’re doing; you’re all in.

The cool thing about the skill of participating is that you don’t have to be a professional musician or athlete to participate. Ultimately, when I work with my clients, the goal is for them to become active participants in their own lives. In other words, they’re participating fully and becoming one with their own life and not just an empty shell, going through life on autopilot.

Practice mindful participating even when you don’t want to put yourself out there

Even if you’ve never tried practicing mindfulness, I’m going to guess that you can identify something you do that when you’re doing it, you’re all in. Even if you’re someone who tends to observe more often than actively participate, you can throw yourself into observing.

For instance, if you are someone who identifies more like an introvert or an ambivert, you may not always be up for socializing or being around other people. That is totally fine. The key is that whatever you choose to do, you’re fully “in”.

You can practice DBT mindful participating when breathing.

If you're the kind of person who feels more comfortable observing from the outside, you can still practice mindful participation by focusing on your breathing. The key is that you go all in.

So, when you’re breathing in, all there is, is breathing in. When you’re breathing out, all there is, is breathing out. In other words, you become breathing in and breathing out. There’s nothing else other than breathing in and breathing out.

DBT mindful participating: a personal example.

As a DBT therapist and mom to a teenager, I can honestly understand the concept of how truly quickly time seems to pass by. I can remember when my daughter was younger and we were on vacation at the beach. This particular beach house we were renting had a really nice deck with a hammock on one end. I remember laying on it, reading a book, when my daughter climbed up on the hammock with me.

I remember initially feeling the urge to continue to read the book as I was in the middle of a chapter and it was a particularly captivating book. I also was keenly aware that we were scheduled to leave the next day and my mind was also on the list of stuff I still needed to pack.

Then, it occurred to me that I was missing out on this truly amazing moment. The hammock was located in the shade, a warm breeze flowing through the air, while the sun was shining in the distance with the ocean beneath, and here was my incredible daughter, snuggling up next to me. It was a perfect moment and I could’ve missed the whole thing if I got caught up in returning to my book or the future packing to-do list; all things which were pulling me away from the beautiful, joyful experience I was currently in.

What gets in the way of practicing the DBT Mindfulness Skill of participating?

As human beings, our minds are constantly full of neverending streams of thoughts. That is what our brains do and is not a bad thing. When we engage in mindfulness practice, it brings our minds back to the present moment; the here and now.

Mindfully participating in life is where & when we experience happiness.

Participating in life helps us notice the positive, joyful, pleasant parts of our lives. It is often the case that when we are not experiencing happiness, it’s not because there’s a lack of good things happening within and around us, it’s that we often are not present in our current experiences; participating in life. One way to bring some joy into our lives is to begin by actively participating in the amazing moments and possibilities all around us in the here and now.

Again, participating is when you throw yourself into the activity. While it’s important to sometimes focus on our future goals or reflect on our pasts, the majority of the time needs to be spent in the present moment. That is where peak performance occurs and ultimately the place where we can experience great happiness and joy.  

Philadelphia DBT Therapy

The mindfulness skills taught in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Training are referred to as Core Mindfulness Skills because they are the foundational skills and underlie all of the skills that are taught in DBT Skills Training.

If you’re someone who struggles to keep relationships, constantly having to deal with relationship problems, has debilitating anxiety and panic, or needs help coping with painful emotions, Dialectical Behavior Therapy can help you find relief from your misery and suffering. DBT can help you experience happiness again.

DBT Therapist Philadelphia

As a DBT therapist in Philadelphia, I specialize in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. I provide BPD treatment, therapy for anxiety, and trauma therapy. Reach out today for your free, 15-minute, video consultation for DBT therapy in Philadelphia.

You don’t need to continue suffering from emotional pain and toxic relationships. You are not doomed to a life of misery and pain. Schedule your DBT therapy consultation for Borderline Personality Disorder treatment, and therapy for anxiety now by calling 717-685-5074 or booking your own consultation for BPD treatment HERE.