Accumulating positive emotions over the long term involves making changes that increase the likelihood of positive events happening in the future. These changes may include overcoming avoidance behaviors and being clear about one’s values and priorities. This skill falls under the emotion regulation learning module in DBT, and is part of the ABC emotion regulation skill.
The Accumulate Positive Emotions Long-Term DBT Worksheet asks clients to reflect on the things they are trying to avoid that need to be taken care of, identify their values and priorities, choose a value to work on, and name some goals that help them move forward. It also invites them to make a list of three positive affirmations that will keep them focused in the direction of their goals.
This worksheet helps kids and teens build resilience, which allows them to handle stress more effectively while keeping them motivated. If you’re a parent, support your child by providing examples while working through each question on the worksheet. For example, if their goal is to improve their school grades, small action steps might include scheduling 15-minute study sessions daily and creating flash cards.
Our Accumulate Positive Emotions handout, and Accumulate Positive Emotions Short-Term Worksheet can be used as complementary resources to this worksheet.
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References:
- Cohn, M. A., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2009). Positive emotions. Oxford handbook of positive psychology, 2, 13-24.
- Folkman, S. (2007). The case for positive emotions in the stress process. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 21(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800701740457
- Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Positive emotions broaden and build. In Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (pp. 1–53). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-407236-7.00001-2
- Ong, A. D., Bergeman, C. S., Bisconti, T. L., & Wallace, K. A. (2006). Psychological resilience, positive emotions, and successful adaptation to stress in later life. Journal of personality and social psychology, 91(4), 730.
