MORE THAN THERAPYTHE RESOURCE LIBRARY

MODULE 02 / 24 · Mindfulness · 15–25 MINUTES

Observe: Just Notice · Urge Surfing

Notice sensations, thoughts, and urges without immediately acting on them.

Try the worksheet

Understand the skill

Observing is direct noticing. Urge surfing applies this stance to an urge: watch its changing qualities while allowing a safer response. The aim is choice, not forcing an urge to disappear on schedule.

Practice step by step

  1. Choose a mild everyday urge or a fictional example, without deliberately triggering cravings.
  2. Notice where sensations show up and describe their location, movement, or intensity privately.
  3. Return to an external anchor or natural breathing when attention wanders.
  4. Notice any change or lack of change, then choose a supportive action rather than obeying the urge.

TRY IT · SOLO OR WITH A GROUP

A practice activity

Wave observer: for one comfortable minute, observe an urge to check your phone. Sketch or describe its movement, then decide what to do next. Looking around or declining is equally valid.

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

Notice a craving while moving to a safer setting or contacting a support person. Observation can accompany a recovery plan; it does not replace needed care.

Facilitator notes

Never use substances, triggering images, or competitive endurance as cues. Offer observation of a neutral object instead.

Adaptation and care: Do not use urge surfing to manage suspected withdrawal, overdose, or another medical emergency. Seek appropriate urgent care.

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.