MORE THAN THERAPYTHE RESOURCE LIBRARY

MODULE 12 / 24 · Emotion regulation · 15–25 MINUTES

Accumulate Positive Emotions

Make space for small rewarding moments and longer-term valued experiences.

Try the worksheet

Understand the skill

Positive experiences can be brief and modest: connection, interest, rest, meaning, or enjoyment. Planning them does not deny grief, racism, hardship, or other painful realities. Feeling better immediately is not required.

Practice step by step

  1. Brainstorm activities that fit your interests, culture, energy, and resources.
  2. Choose one accessible short-term activity.
  3. Connect a longer-term value to a small step this week.
  4. Notice the experience while it happens and review what was useful.

TRY IT · SOLO OR WITH A GROUP

A practice activity

Joy without a price tag: create a menu of five free or low-cost options, select one, and plan a smaller alternative for a difficult day.

Group option: Work from a fictional example for five minutes, rehearse or compare choices for five minutes, then discuss one useful adaptation. Pass, write, observe, or work alone.

Your practice worksheet

Writing is optional. Responses stay in this open tab and are not submitted or automatically saved. Closing or refreshing clears them. Avoid names or identifying details. Printing or downloading includes your words.

Use paper or discuss the prompts if you prefer.

Recovery connection

Explore substance-free rewarding experiences without expecting them to feel as intense as substance effects or making them a test of recovery success.

Facilitator notes

Offer connection and solitary options. Do not pressure participants to feel grateful or cheerful.

Adaptation and care: Persistent loss of interest may need clinical attention. A pleasant-activity plan is not a substitute for assessment.

Between-session practice: Choose one manageable situation to try this skill. Notice the context, what you did, and what helped or needs adjusting. An attempt counts as practice even when feelings do not change.

Background and sources

DBT skills concepts originate in Marsha M. Linehan's work. These are original More Than Therapy activities, not reproductions of official worksheets or endorsed materials.

References inform the skill framework; they do not validate these particular exercises. Life-structure modules are DBT-informed applications, not additional standard DBT core modules.