Introduction: How DBT Can Help You Conquer Anxiety
Anxiety can feel completely overwhelming, like a constant loop of worry, racing thoughts, and physical tension that you just can’t shake. If you’ve been searching for a way to calm your mind, regulate emotions, and feel in control, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) might be exactly what you need.
DBT was originally designed for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) but has since been proven highly effective for managing anxiety, panic attacks, and excessive worry. Unlike traditional talk therapy, DBT provides concrete skills to help you:
✅ Calm your nervous system when anxiety spikes
✅ Challenge and change anxious thought patterns
✅ Stop overthinking before it spirals out of control
✅ Feel more grounded and in control of your emotions
In this guide, you’ll discover life-changing DBT skills that actually work—plus resources to help you put them into practice starting today!
👉 Want expert support to reduce anxiety? Work with an online DBT therapist!
Start Online Therapy Now
The TIPP Skill: Reduce Anxiety Instantly
When anxiety hits hard, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, making it difficult to think clearly or calm down. The TIPP skill is one of DBT’s most powerful techniques to quickly reset your nervous system.
How to Use TIPP for Anxiety Relief
🧊 T – Temperature Change: Splash cold water on your face, hold an ice cube, or use a cooling gel mask.
🏃 I – Intense Exercise: Do 30 seconds of jumping jacks or sprint in place.
💨 P – Paced Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 6.
🧘 P – Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Tense and release each muscle group in your body.
💡 Why It Works:
TIPP forces your body into a physiological state of calm, lowering your heart rate and reducing anxiety within minutes.
👉 Want a structured way to practice DBT skills?
📚The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Anxiety
The STOP Skill: Interrupt Overthinking Before It Takes Over
Anxiety thrives on overthinking and worst-case scenarios. The STOP skill helps you pause and regain control before anxiety spirals.
How to Use STOP for Anxious Thoughts
🔴 S – Stop what you’re doing immediately. Don’t react impulsively.
🔄 T – Take a Step Back and breathe deeply before responding.
👀 O – Observe what’s happening—your thoughts, emotions, and surroundings.
✅ P – Proceed Mindfully, making a rational choice instead of reacting out of panic.
💡 Why It Works:
STOP gives you space between the anxious thought and your reaction, helping you make a logical, calm decision instead of letting anxiety take over.
👉 Struggle with overthinking?
📥 Download The Overthinking Survival Kit
Radical Acceptance: Stop Fighting Anxiety and Find Peace
Anxiety often gets worse when we resist it. We tell ourselves, I shouldn’t feel this way or Why can’t I just stop worrying?—but fighting emotions only gives them more power.
Radical Acceptance teaches you to accept anxiety for what it is, without judgment.
How to Use Radical Acceptance for Anxiety:
- Acknowledge that anxiety is present instead of trying to push it away.
- Say to yourself: “Right now, I feel anxious, and that’s okay. I don’t have to like it, but I can handle it.”
- Shift your focus to the next best step instead of obsessing over how you “should” feel.
💡 Why It Works:
Acceptance doesn’t mean giving up—it means reducing the struggle so you can move forward.
👉 Want a deeper dive into DBT Radical Acceptance?
📚DBT Toolkit Radical Acceptance Workbook
Wise Mind: Find the Balance Between Emotion and Logic
Anxiety often makes us overreact emotionally or ignore our feelings completely. The Wise Mind skill helps you find balance between emotion and logic, so you make decisions that feel right.
The Three States of Mind
🧠 Emotion Mind: Acting purely on feelings (“I feel like something bad will happen, so it must be true.”)
📊 Reasonable Mind: Acting purely on logic (“I have no evidence this will happen, so I shouldn’t worry.”)
⚖️ Wise Mind: The middle ground where emotions and logic work together (“I feel anxious, but I know I can handle this situation.”)
How to Tap Into Wise Mind:
- Take 3 deep breaths and ask yourself: What would my Wise Mind say about this situation?
- Write down both the emotional response and the logical response—then find the balanced truth between them.
💡 Why It Works:
Wise Mind keeps you from making extreme, fear-based decisions and helps you respond in a way that serves you best.
👉 Want to strengthen your Wise Mind?
📚DBT Workbook for Anxiety
Opposite Action: Shift Your Mood by Changing Your Behavior
When anxiety makes you want to avoid something, avoidance only makes the fear grow stronger. Opposite Action helps you break this cycle by doing the opposite of what anxiety wants you to do.
How to Use Opposite Action for Anxiety:
- Feel like avoiding a social event? Go for 10 minutes instead of canceling.
- Want to stay in bed all day? Get up and stretch for 5 minutes.
- Too anxious to make a decision? Set a timer for 30 seconds and make the best choice you can.
💡 Why It Works:
Your actions influence your emotions. By taking small steps outside your comfort zone, you retrain your brain to handle anxiety differently.
Self-Soothe: Use Your Senses to Calm Anxiety
When anxiety feels overwhelming, grounding yourself in sensory experiences can bring you back to the present.
How to Use the Self-Soothe Skill:
👀 Sight: Watch a calming video, look at a nature scene, or light a candle.
👂 Sound: Listen to soothing music or nature sounds.
🖐 Touch: Hold a soft object, take a warm shower, or use a weighted blanket.
👃 Smell: Use essential oils, scented lotion, or fresh air.
👅 Taste: Sip herbal tea or eat a small piece of dark chocolate.
💡 Why It Works:
Activating your senses helps you shift focus away from anxious thoughts and into the present moment.
👉 Want to add self soothing to your self-care?
📚Five Senses Self Soothing Kit
Take the First Step Toward Anxiety Relief Today
Anxiety doesn’t have to control your life. By practicing TIPP, STOP, Radical Acceptance, Wise Mind, Opposite Action, and Self-Soothe, you can rewire your brain to handle anxiety in a healthier way.
Take Action Now:
📖 Start your journey with a DBT workbook today!
📚DBT Workbook for Anxiety
📚DBT Skills Workbook for Anxiety
📥 Struggle with overthinking? Get my free Overthinking Survival Kit!
👉 Download Here
💬 Want expert guidance?
👉 Find Your Online Therapist Now
Anxiety doesn’t define you. You have the power to take control—starting today! 💙
