"Opposite Action," is a dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) strategy. DBT promotes this approach when emotions become too powerful or destructive or when they generate dysfunctional emotion-driven behavior. The goal is not to dismiss your feelings but to reshape them to help you achieve a more positive end.
There are valid reasons for our feelings. Even when experiencing unpleasant emotions, realize it's all right to feel that way. When our feelings drive us to act in ways we subsequently regret, issues can arise. Some examples are as follows:
- Substance misuse as a coping tactic for depression or loneliness is a recipe for addictive behavior and relapse, especially for those already in recovery.
- Avoiding essential duties and difficulties because you are afraid of failing can jeopardize your prospects of success in school or business.
- Letting your anger manifest itself in verbal assaults may harm your relationships.
Emotional impulses can be harmful because they exaggerate the initial feelings. You risk becoming even more enmeshed in your emotions when you act on them. This is when the opposite action can play an influential role. Instead of feeding a feeling, try doing the opposite to gain control and redirect your mindset.
Although we all experience complicated emotions, most individuals react to them in predictable ways. You may enhance your capacity to recognize unpleasant emotions and acquire confidence in your ability to regulate them by analyzing your habits. Use the opposite action skill when your feelings contradict the facts or giving in to them would be detrimental to your well-being or the circumstance at hand.
How to Carry Out Opposite Action
- Give the emotion you wish to change a name. Consider if there is a good reason to minimize or regulate this emotion. Is it all too much for you? Do you feel driven to participate in dangerous or harmful behavior?
- Confirm that you have all of the information. Have you misinterpreted the scenario or neglected any significant facts? Determine if the situation justifies the emotion. To put it another way, "do the facts support it?"
- Recognize the associated body language and behavior. How would you describe your facial expressions and posture? What exactly are you saying, and how are you saying it?
- Identify and describe the impulses you have to act. Pay careful attention to your urges, desires, and cravings.
- Determine if acting on or expressing the emotion will be beneficial. The question is, "Will giving in to this urge improve the situation or worsen it?"
- Identify an opposite action. What modifications in body language can you make that don't indicate fear, for example? Is it possible to change your posture to reveal strength rather than weakness? Is there a way to face your anxieties instead of running away? When you're bored or stressed, what alternative, more constructive, and healthier things can you do instead of turning to drugs or alcohol?
- Make a sound choice to take the opposing action and commit to it. Consider why you want to regulate your emotions when thinking about this commitment. What have the repercussions been in the past when you let your emotions govern your actions? Did you or anybody close to you suffer significant harm?
It may be challenging to do the opposite action. We will not pretend differently. On the other hand, the sharp edge of extreme sensations may soften by executing the opposite action skill. It may not be easy to employ this technique when emotions are high and you're in the moment. But planning opposite-action strategies while you are calm, on the other hand, may provide you with a valuable tool for regulating your emotions.
Contact a luxury, dual diagnosis treatment center like Wish Recovery to learn more about opposite action and other DBT skills to help start your recovery.
