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Mindfulness Activity

Observe: Mindful Eating

Managing Negative Emotions

Lesson 9
(DeCano & Cook, 2015)
 Summary of the Previous Lesson
• You are not your thoughts AND thoughts can’t make you
do anything!!!

• Cognitive fusion occurs when our thoughts dominate how

we feel and behave often without even knowing it

• The meaning we make out of situations determines how

we feel and behave

• Unhelpful thoughts and beliefs lead to emotions that don’t

fit the facts. These in turn become lead to engage in
regrettable, ineffective or otherwise problematic behaviors
 Summary of the Previous Lesson

• Cognitive restructuring is the process of becoming aware

of our unhelpful thoughts and purposefully challenging,
disputing, or replacing them to be more helpful or
optimistic

• People who have resilience work hard at developing

helpful automatic thoughts and a healthy and helpful core
belief system toward self, others, and the world
 Learning Objectives

 After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

 Define the concept of emotions and describe why emotions

are a critical aspect of life

 Describe the difference between negative and positive

emotions

 Explain why purposefully managing intense negative

emotions is critical to having resilience
 Learning Objectives

 After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

 Use skills and strategies to implement when negative

emotions are overwhelming current thoughts

 Explain why purposefully cultivating positive emotions is

critical to having resilience
 Lesson 9: Glossary Terms
Managing Negative Emotions

Check the Facts Does our interpretation match the reality of the situation?

It is one of the dialectical behavior therapy emotion regulation

skills to help you identify whether or not these actions make
Opposite Action sense in the moment and what to do about them. (Changing our
behavior can change our emotions).

It is referred to as “mindfulness of current emotions”- is allowing

Wave Skill emotions to occur without trying to push them away or making
them stronger.
 Participation Week 9 Part 1

• What do you currently do to help you

manage negative emotions
 Remember Emotions 101

 Three goals of emotion:

 They communicate information to ourselves - an

internal subjective experience that combines bodily and
cognitive reactions.

 They communicate to others and provide them with

information - real or imagined.

 Motivating and organizing action – thus emotions are

adaptive by nature.
Do not reproduce or distribute without written permission from James J. Mazza © Mazza Consulting, 2017
 What skill do we have to defuse the link
from thought/interpretation to emotion?

Angry Arnie
@#$%# dog!! I bet
the owner made the
dog poop here on
purpose. If I saw the
owner, I'd kick his
butt.

CBT: Cognitive Restructuring

1. Identify unhelpful thoughts
2. Detective thinking
3. Alter, change or re-frame
 What skill do we have to defuse the link
from thought/interpretation to emotion?

Angry Arnie
@#$%# dog!! I bet
the owner made the
dog poop here on
purpose. If I saw the
owner, I'd kick his
butt.

DBT: Emotion Regulation

1. Check the facts
a. if facts don’t fit –
alternatives
1. opposite action
b. if the facts do fit
1. problem-solve
 Opposite Action:
https://www.nowmatter
snow.org/skill/opposite-
action
 Checking the Facts
Here are the FACTS:
Many emotions and actions are set off by our thoughts and
interpretations of events, not by the events themselves.

EVENT THOUGHTS EMOTION

Our emotions can also have a big effect on our thoughts

about events.

EVENT EMOTION THOUGHTS

Examining our thoughts and checking the facts can help us

change our emotions.
 3 STEPS TO CHECK THE FACTS

1) ASK: What is the emotion I want to change?

2) ASK: What is the event prompting my emotion?

Describe the facts that you observed through your senses.

Challenge judgments, extremes and black-&-white

thinking.

3) ASK: Am I interpreting the situation correctly?

Are there other possible interpretations?

 3 STEPS TO CHECK THE FACTS
Additional Questions that may or may not fit each
situation:

a. Am I thinking in extremes (all or nothing, catastrophic

thinking)?

1. Think of as many other possible outcomes as you

can. 

b. What is the likelihood of the worst thing happening?

c. Even if the worst were to happen, could you imagine

coping well with it? Imagine saying “so what?”
Emotion Regulation Skill: Opposite Action to
Change Emotion

 Emotions come with specific Action Urges that push

us to act in certain ways.

 Often we escape the pain of the emotion in harmful

ways.

 There are the common Urges associated with a each

emotion.
 Emotion Urges
Fear ----------------------- Escaping or Avoiding
Anger -------------------- Attacking
Sadness ------------------ Withdrawing, becoming passive, isolating
Shame -------------------- Hiding, avoiding withdrawing, save face by attacking
others
Guilt ----------------------- Over-promise that you will not commit the offense again,
disclaim all responsibility, hiding, lowering head; begging forgiveness
Jealousy ------------------ Verbal accusations, attempt to control, suspicious
Love ------------------------ Saying I love you, making effort to spend time with the
person, doing what the other person wants and needs, and giving
affection
 

Acting Opposite = act opposite to the action urge when you

want to change the emotion.
 Opposite Action to Change Emotion
OPPOSTIE ACTION WORKS BEST WHEN:
 
1. The emotion DOES NOT fit the facts.
 
a. An emotion DOES NOT fit the facts when:
 The emotion DOES NOT fit the facts of the actual situation
(e.g., terror in response to speaking in public). OR
 The emotion its intensity, or duration are not effective for your
goals in the situation (e.g., you feel angry at your math teacher
but three periods later you’re still fuming and can’t focus on
science).

2. It is done ALL THE WAY

 Opposite behavior
 Opposite words and thinking
 Opposite facial expressions, voice tone and posture
 Emotion Regulation: Opposite Action
Opposite Action
Observe & Describe
This is a person in my calculus
class. We share the same major.
I have talked to them before. Scenario
What’s your action urge? I want to ask
Remove yourself from the
situation, or avoid saying
someone out on a
anything for fear of being date. I am worried
rejected.
Emotion DOES they will say no
Do opposite action ALL THE NOT Fit the
WAY Facts and think they
Approach the person, appear probably won’t like
confident and ask the person
out. Gain control over the me anyway.
situation. Check the Facts REJECTION!
What happens when the facts do fit?

We problem solve!!
 Problem Solving

 START PROBLEM SOLVING:

 First Ask yourself: Can the problem be solved?

 If YES, try problem solving!

 If NO, use your Radical Acceptance and

Mindfulness to Current Emotion (Wave skill) skills to
manage the problem and your emotional reaction to it.
 Problem Solving
 Steps for Problem Solving:

1. Describe the problem and check the facts

2. IDENTIFY your GOALS in solving the problem

 Identify what needs to happen or change for you to feel

OK.

 Keep it simple; keep it something that can actually

happen.
 Problem Solving
 Steps for Problem Solving:

3. BRAINSTORM lots of solutions.

 Think of as many solutions as you can. Ask for suggestions from
people you trust.
 Don’t be critical of any ideas at first (wait for Step 5 to evaluate
ideas).

4. CHOOSE a solution that is likely to work.

 If unsure, choose 2 or 3 solutions that look good.
 Do PROS & CONS to compare the solutions. Choose the best to
try first.
 Problem Solving
 Steps for Problem Solving:

5. Put the solution(s) into ACTION.

 ACT: try out the solution(s).
 Take the first step, and then the second….

6. EVALUATE outcomes.
 Did it work? YEAH! Reward yourself!
 It didn’t work? Validate yourself for trying and DON’T
GIVE UP!
 Try a new solution.
 Emotion Regulation: Problem Solving
Problem-Solving Steps
1. Describe the Problem Situation &
Check the Facts
Scenario Want to ask for a second date

2. Check the facts:

I want to ask for a Used opposite action, they said YES to a first
second date, but date, but it was very awkward.

the first one was

really awkward – 3. Identify Your Goals
I’m worried this Is to get this person to say yes again, and
hopefully develop an intimate relationship with
Emotion DO
will happen Fit the Facts
them.

4. Brainstorm lots of solutions/ideas

again! Different ideas for fun dates
ANXIETY! Check the Facts
5. Choose at least one solution/ideas

6. Action, & 7. Evaluate outcome

 Does the Emotion Fit the Facts?
Opposite Action
Observe & Describe
This is a person in my calculus
class. We share the same major.
I am fearful they will reject me
What’s your action urge?
Remove yourself from the
situation, or avoid saying
anything for fear of being
rejected. Emotion DOES
NOT Fit the
Do opposite action ALL THE Facts
WAY
Approach the person, appear
confident and ask the person
out. Gain control over the Check the Facts5. Choose at least one solution/ideas
situation.
Problem-Solving Steps
1. Describe the Problem Situation &
Check the Fact
I want to ask for a second date, I am worried
about our second date being awkward
2. Check the facts:
The first date was awkward
3. Identify Your Goals
Is to get this person to say yes, and hopefully
develop an intimate relationship with them.
Emotion DO
Fit the Facts
4. Brainstorm lots of solutions/ideas
Different ideas for fun dates
6. Action, & 7. Evaluate outcome
 EMOTION RESPONSE ROAD MAP
EMOTIO
Emotion N EMOTION
Intensity INTENSITY
<65 >65
EMO
TION
S CO
OL D
OW
Emotion + Intensity Emotion + Intensity
N <6
5
DON’T
Fit the Facts CRISIS
Fit the Facts
SURVIVAL
Pros + Cons
SKILLS

TTII
OPPOSIT

TTSS

PPPP
IMPROV
IMPROV
EEPP
E

CC
AACC
ACTION

E
E
Wave, Radical UNSOLVABLE SOLVABLE Problem
Acceptance & SITUATION SITUATION Solving
Willingness

(Ferrick, 2018)
Do not reproduce or distribute without written permission from DBT in Schools, LLC © 2019
 Summary of this Lesson
• Emotions represent subjective experience that combines bodily
and cognitive reactions, are designed to provide us feedback, and
motivate specific types of behavior or action

• Emotions are functionally adaptive

• Negative emotions narrow and positive emotions broaden

• To have resilience we must manage intense negative emotions and

cultivate positive emotions
 Summary of this Lesson
• Intense negative emotions can be managed two different ways:
• If in a crisis – emotional temperature > 65 – then use crisis survival skills:

• TIPP
• Distract with ACCEPTS
• Self-soothe plus movement
• Pro & Cons

• If not a crisis < 65 then use:

• Check the Facts and then Opposite Action or Problem

Solving
• Positive self-talk
• Mindfulness of current emotion: Wave Skill
 Participation Week 9 Part 2
• What is the emotion you feel would be
easiest to act opposite of?
Mindfulness: Participate

Laughing
https://www.facebook.com/TED/videos/10159946160830652/
 Skill Coaching: Practice!
FIRST: In your group, brainstorm situations in which you would feel a strong
emotion. Choose one situation that is most relevant to everyone in the group.
• Name the emotion
• Identify the action urge

SECOND: Each group member should get a turn role playing their own
scenario and practicing checking the facts and deciding to do opposite action or
problem-solving.
• ASK: Does the emotion fit the facts AND does the intensity of
the emotion fit the facts?
 Debrief Discussion

Engage in discussion with your group and provide feedback

around how you felt you did with all the components of check
the facts, opposite action, and problem solving.

• How did your skill practice go?

• What did you feel went well for you? What did your partner
do well?
•What was most challenging for each of you?
Focus on the use of the skill more than how the specific
scenario went.