Page 39 - Horizons Manual

Distract with ACCEPTS
When you are in high distress you have three choices.
1. Try to solve the problem
2. Focus on your emotions
3. Distract from your emotions
When distress is high it can be helpful to distract yourself. Distracting yourself will help lower distress by giving you something else to focus on.
The word ACCEPTS will help you remember different ways to distract yourself. Each letter in ACCEPTS stands for a distraction skill.
A = Activities
Activities are distractions. When you are doing something active, you are thinking about the activity and not about what is bothering you. This helps lower distress and can create positive emotions.
Check the activities you could try. Write in your own. □ Play cards
□ Watch a movie
□ Knit
□ Color
□ Play computer games □ Go for a walk
□ Clean
□ ____________________________________________ □ ____________________________________________ □ ____________________________________________
Distress Tolerance
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