A Baltimore Guide: Healthy Distractions for Distress Tolerance
In a previous blog, I spoke about self soothing as a central skill in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT); a skills based model that teaches tools to help people with struggles including depression, anxiety, and anger. Being able to connect with our 5 senses and experience the world helps us understand our feelings and apply tools to help. Distraction is another skill that can be used NOT to solve our issues but to give us time to calm ourselves. By allowing our intense emotions to lessen over time, we can have more control and power in our lives. DBT uses an A.C.C.E.P.T.S model. While my last post focused on the outdoors, this one highlights indoor activities in Baltimore where you can apply this model.
The A.C.C.E.P.T.S model in action
Activities: this can be anything! Whether a new hobby, or project- the focus is to have something that requires our attention. Open Works Baltimore is a space for creating and using technology. They offer many classes for newbies to more experienced level crafters!
Contributing: something other than yourself! It feels good to connect with something bigger than ourselves with a shared purpose. The Maryland SPCA is located on Falls Road, close to Hampden. They have many programs and work directly with the community.
Comparisons: remember a time when you were in more pain or more distress. It helps to know we made it through that experience. The Walter’s Art Museum is free and has many galleries featuring artists and cultures from around the world.
Emotions: Create an emotion! Music is a great way to cope with emotions. The 8X10 is a music venue in Baltimore that has a show most nights of the week. Find an artist or genre you love or explore something new.
Pushing away: Getting the emotion out of your mind- whether physically by writing it down and crumbling it up or imagining this. The Rage Room in Baltimore can be a healthy way to take out negative energy in a controlled way with safety protocols.
Thoughts: focusing on thoughts instead of feelings. Reading is a tool that helps us connect with others and their way of viewing the world. The Enoch Public libraries have many locations and hold free events.
Sensations: Using our sense of touch can help distract from negative feelings. A pottery class is a way to get connected. Baltimore Clayworks holds classes regularly for a range of skills!
While distractions typically aren't recommended to be one’s ONLY tool in their toolbox, it definitely can serve a purpose to aid with the most difficult emotions. Try a new one on this list and see how it feels!
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Interested in Counseling in Baltimore, MD for Depression, Anxiety, or Coping Skills?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Online & in-person counseling for depression, anxiety, and coping skills aren’t the only services offered at our Baltimore, MD office.
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written by: Ashley Swift, LCPC, NCC
Ashley Swift is a trauma-informed therapist who helps her clients learn new skills for managing difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and DBT. Ashley provides online counseling services to individuals across the state of Maryland, and she also provides face-to-face therapy at our Baltimore office.
