DBTuesday: easy mindfulness exercises

Hey there everyone! The last DBTuesdays were a lot about the distress tolerance category of DBT skills which can be really useful when actively dealing with a crisis, but today I’d like to come back to the mindfulness category. The goal of this DBT skills’ category is to stay present in the moment and to avoid judging. This is why this week I’d like to present and offer to discussion two easy mindfulness exercises that could help staying grounded and present in the moment. (these exercises could also help when facing a crisis so as to calm down!)

Take a mindful minute, or the 5-4-3-2-1 game :

For this exercise, while taking deep breaths, use your 5 five senses and focus on :

- 5 things you can see around you

- 4 things you can physically feel

- 3 things you can hear

- 2 things you can smell

- 1 thing you can taste

Don’t hesitate to do this exercise while closing your eyes and picturing yourself in a safe place if it helps better!

5 fingers breathing :

Another easy exercise to stay grounded and calm down could be the 5 fingers breathing exercise, which only requires your two hands!

Place one of your hand in front of you and with the index finger of your other hand, slowly follow the outline of your first hand. Breathe in as your trace your finger up and breathe out while you trace it down, for each finger. Repeat as many times as needed!

Discussion questions ~

What do you think about these exercises? (do you already do them? could they be useful for you? why/why not?)

If any, what are some other exercises that you use to stay grounded or to calm down?

Thanks for reading, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts about this!

Waves ~

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