ACCEPTS DBT Skill: 7 Practical Examples

Quick Answer

The ACCEPTS DBT skill is a distress-tolerance tool for getting through a painful moment without making it worse. The letters stand for Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions, Pushing away, Thoughts, and Sensations. You do not need to use all seven. Pick one safe strategy that creates enough distance for the emotional wave to change.

ACCEPTS is temporary crisis survival, not avoidance forever. It can help when a problem cannot be solved immediately, but it does not replace therapy, medical care, or crisis support.

Key Takeaways

• ACCEPTS gives you seven short-term ways to redirect attention during distress.
• The goal is to delay ineffective action, not deny the problem.
• Choose one strategy that is safe, available, and strong enough to hold your attention.
• Return to problem-solving when your intensity is lower.

What Does ACCEPTS Stand For in DBT?

ACCEPTS is a mnemonic taught within DBT distress tolerance. The seven options are:

The Linehan Institute places skills like ACCEPTS inside a larger DBT skills-training system. That context matters: distraction is one tool for a specific moment, not the whole work of emotion regulation.

7 ACCEPTS DBT Skill Examples

1. Activities: give your attention a job

Choose an activity that requires enough attention to interrupt rumination. Fold laundry by color, follow a short recipe, organize a playlist, walk a familiar route, or play a game with clear rules.

The activity should be concrete and time-limited. “Fix my entire life” is not an activity; “wash the dishes for 10 minutes” is.

2. Contributing: do one useful thing

Contributing shifts attention toward a small act of care. You might leave a kind review, help a neighbor carry groceries, answer a practical question, or send someone a sincere thank-you.

Do not use contributing to erase your own needs or earn worth. The skill works best as a bounded action, not compulsory caretaking.

3. Comparisons: add perspective without invalidating yourself

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Compare the current moment with a past challenge you handled, or notice what has changed since an earlier stage of your life. The purpose is perspective: “This is painful, and I have survived painful hours before.”

Avoid comparisons that become shame, such as telling yourself that other people have it worse and therefore you should not feel anything.

4. Emotions: invite a different feeling

Use music, a story, comedy, nature footage, or a familiar photo to evoke an emotion different from the one dominating the moment. If anger is surging, choose something tender or absorbing. If sadness feels immobilizing, choose something lightly energizing rather than aggressively cheerful.

5. Pushing away: create a temporary boundary

Imagine placing the problem in a box, writing it on paper and turning the page over, or scheduling a specific time to revisit it. Say, “I am not solving this for the next 20 minutes.”

Pushing away is useful when immediate thinking only feeds the crisis. It becomes avoidance if the scheduled return never comes.

6. Thoughts: occupy the verbal mind

Count backward by sevens, name cities alphabetically, recite song titles, or complete a crossword. Choose a mental task that is demanding enough to compete with the loop without creating more pressure.

7. Sensations: change what your body notices

Try a cool washcloth, warm tea, a textured object, mint gum, scented soap, or a shower at a safe temperature. Sensation gives attention a clear physical target. For more intensive body-based regulation, compare ACCEPTS with the TIPP skill.

A Worked ACCEPTS Example

You send a vulnerable message and receive no reply. Your distress reaches 8 out of 10, and you want to send five follow-ups. The relationship cannot be clarified right now.

You choose Thoughts by completing a word puzzle for 10 minutes, then Activities by taking a short walk without your phone. At 6 out of 10, you write the urge in a note instead of sending another message. Once you are steadier, you use Check the Facts to separate what you know from what you fear.

The skill did not prove that everything was fine. It helped you avoid adding a new problem while facts were unavailable.

When ACCEPTS Fits—and When It Does Not

Use ACCEPTS when distress is high, action would likely make the situation worse, and the problem can wait. It is especially useful during waiting, urges, rumination, or a conflict pause.

Do not use distraction to ignore an urgent medical issue, ongoing abuse, or immediate danger. If you may harm yourself or someone else, contact emergency services or a crisis resource. If the same crisis keeps returning, bring the pattern to a qualified clinician rather than relying on distraction alone.

Practice the ACCEPTS DBT Skill

Make a seven-line menu before you need it. Write one realistic option for each letter, then circle the two easiest to use in your actual environment. Practice one during moderate distress so recall is easier during a harder moment.

You can also use the free ACCEPTS worksheet and explore the broader DBT skills library.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ACCEPTS the same as accepting a situation?

No. ACCEPTS is a distraction mnemonic for short-term distress tolerance. Radical Acceptance is a different DBT skill focused on acknowledging reality as it is. ACCEPTS helps you survive the moment; Radical Acceptance changes your stance toward facts you cannot change.

How long should I use an ACCEPTS strategy?

Use it long enough for the urge or emotional intensity to become more manageable, then reassess. A 10- or 20-minute timer can keep temporary distraction from turning into indefinite avoidance.

Do I have to complete every letter?

No. ACCEPTS is a menu, not a checklist. One well-matched strategy is more useful than rushing through all seven.

Sources

• Linehan Institute: DBT Skills Training Manual - DBT skills-training framework.
• Guilford Press: DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets - Source text for DBT skills and worksheets.
• VA South Central MIRECC: DBT Visual Review - Public overview of DBT modules and treatment structure.

Conclusion

The ACCEPTS DBT skill gives you seven ways to create a pause when distress is high and solving the problem must wait. Choose one strategy, lower the risk of impulsive action, and return to the situation when you can respond more effectively.