I have created this image based on a DBT skill I have learned and it is what I visualise when practicing it. DBT stands for Dialectical Behavioural Therapy which helps people manage intense emotions. It teaches skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.
This skill in particular comes under the category of distress tolerance and is called ‘mindfulness of current thoughts’. There are many ways of doing this skill but I use leaves on a stream. The main purpose of the skill is to help bring distress levels down.
I mainly use it when going to sleep as it helps ease my mind.
How to use this skill: you’ll want to get into a comfortable position, whether that’s sitting up or lying down, and close your eyes. You’ll then want to imagine a stream with leaves flowing down it. Any thoughts that come to mind, you let them pass by imagining putting them onto the leaves so that they float away down the stream. Your mind may wander when you are doing this, which is completely normal. When you notice that happening, return your mind back to that stream. Go as long as you can, it will take practice – I still find myself getting distracted too.
As a neurodivergent person, I find doing this really helps me to feel more at ease, especially when I’m feeling anxious. I have also noticed that any thoughts I put onto the leaves don’t return to my mind for quite a while.
If leaves on a stream don’t work for you, you can try something you like. For example, I really love bunnies, so putting my thoughts onto them and seeing them hop away really helps.
Martin McHugh (AHNOK)