Dialectical behavior therapy / DBT-A07-5
Short-Term Distress Menu — Review journal
Review an attempt at short-term distress menu and choose what to keep, change, or leave aside.
10 minutes · Journal prompts · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Taylor chooses quiet music while waiting for an uncertain result.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Short-term coping aims to get through a moment without adding avoidable harm.
Before looking back
Choose one ordinary attempt or decide to review the fictional example instead. This journal has no scores, required disclosure, or expectation of progress.
Revisit the practice
Build a menu of accessible distraction, soothing, and support options with a clear time to reassess.
Notice context and impact
Record what actually happened, including an unhelpful or neutral outcome. Note resources, power differences, accessibility, and changed conditions rather than attributing everything to personal effort.
Choose a revision
Which option fits this moment, and when will you reassess? Keep the approach, change one part, ask for support, or set it aside. A mismatch is useful information.
Prompts for this resource
- What I tried, or what happened in the fictional example:
- What I noticed before, during, and after; what remains uncertain:
- What helped, did not help, or was outside my control:
- Which option fits this moment, and when will you reassess? My optional adjustment or support request:
Conceptual background
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training: Fundamentals — Behavioral Tech Institute
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.