Emotion Regulation Skills (DBT)
DBT skills for understanding your emotions, reducing how often painful ones hit, and changing the ones that do not fit the facts.
About this tool
Emotion regulation is one of the four skill modules in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). It starts from a respectful premise: emotions are not the enemy. They give us information, prepare us to act, and communicate to others. The trouble comes when emotions are too intense, last too long, or do not fit the situation, and we get carried away by them. These skills help you understand your emotions and change the ones that are not serving you.
The first move is usually to check the facts. Strong emotions often rest on an interpretation rather than the situation itself, so you examine whether the emotion fits the facts and whether its intensity matches the actual threat or loss. If the emotion does fit, you problem-solve. If it does not, or acting on it would make things worse, DBT teaches opposite action: deliberately doing the opposite of what the emotion urges, such as approaching gently when fear says avoid, or acting kindly when unjustified anger says attack.
Beyond handling emotions in the moment, this module works to lower your baseline vulnerability so painful emotions hit less often. The PLEASE skills protect the body: treat physical illness, eat balanced, avoid mood-altering substances, sleep well, and get exercise. Alongside that, you build mastery by doing something each day that gives a sense of competence, and you accumulate positive experiences, both small daily pleasures and longer-term steps toward a life you value.
None of this is about suppressing feelings or forcing positivity. It is about building a steadier emotional baseline and a set of deliberate choices for the moments when a feeling threatens to run the show. Like all DBT skills, these reward steady practice over time.
- Linehan MM. DBT Skills Training Manual. 2nd ed. Guilford Press; 2015.
- Linehan MM. DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets. 2nd ed. Guilford Press; 2015.
Emotion Regulation Skills (DBT) FAQ
What are DBT emotion regulation skills?
They are skills for understanding your emotions, reducing how often painful ones occur, and changing emotions that do not fit the facts. Key skills include checking the facts, opposite action, PLEASE, building mastery, and accumulating positive experiences.
What is opposite action?
When an emotion does not fit the facts or acting on it would make things worse, opposite action means deliberately doing the opposite of what the emotion urges, fully, such as approaching what you fear or acting gently instead of attacking in unjustified anger.
What does PLEASE stand for?
Treat PhysicaL illness, Eat balanced, Avoid mood-altering substances, Sleep, and Exercise. These habits reduce your vulnerability to intense, hard-to-manage emotions.
Is emotion regulation about suppressing feelings?
No. It is about understanding emotions, working with the ones that fit, and changing the ones that do not. The goal is a steadier emotional life, not numbness or forced positivity.