DBT,  DBT-FST,  Mindfulness

DBT Skill of the Day: One Mindfully from Mindfulness Module

With our busy lives, with our worries about family, friends, money and work, it can be difficult to be fully present and to fully participate in each moment, task or interaction with others. The DBT skill “One Mindfully” helps to focus your attention on the current moment, task or interaction with other people. The details are:

  • Let go of distractions and worries in the current moment.
  • Focus your attention on the moment.
  • Breathe and allow the distracting and worrying thoughts to exit your mind, like water going down a drain.
  • Concentrate on the current moment. When you wash the dishes, just wash the dishes. Attend to the sensory feelings – the feel of the warm water on your hands, the sound of the water in the sink.
  • Stop intrusive or assumptive thoughts and push them to the back of your mind.
  • Listen to the words of the other person, without personalizing or judging.
  • Deal with one task at a time. Your attention can be focused on the now. Other thoughts and worries can be set aside until later.

One way to practice One Mindfulness is to observe nature and to use your senses and focus on the sensory input. Listen to the wind in the trees. Watch the river flow by. Focus your attention on your breath. When interacting with another person, listen non-judgmentally to their words and don’t just wait for your turn to speak and express your opinion. Internalize a single moment as fully as possible without allowing distracting thoughts and worries to pollute the current moment. Many people have noisy minds. Quiet your mind and focus your attention on your senses. What am I seeing? What am I hearing?

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