@outlander @Phoenix_Rising

PR has described Radical Acceptance pretty well @outlander. I have used RA in a number of different situations, one of which is to do with my SI/SH issues. Essentially, I have accepted (over and over again-which is the principle of RA) that for me, SI/SH is part of my coping strategies when I'm overwhelmed & feeling hopeless. It doesn't really mean it's ok or acceptable, but it's what I do for now until something more effective comes along and I deal with the issues behind what's driving me to this.

And my understanding of self soothe is this - self soothe is what's used well before you get to crisis point to help you tone down your emotions and feel calmer. So self soothe is using your 5 senses if touch, smell, hearing, sight and taste. Some examples are your drawings @outlander, listening to your favourite songs, eating chocolate, patting your cat/dog, baking, going for a walk like Li1 does and seeing the brumbies, taking a bath. It's about creating comfort and pleasurable sensations to help you relax and also be mindful. It's very different to distraction, but it is still a distress tolerance tool which might make it confusing.

Distraction is what you do when you have intense emotions, feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope and you are reaching crisis point. It's about getting through this difficult time to hopefully alleviate the distress you're experiencing. So distraction involves skills of (Wise Mind) ACCEPTS. That is distract with Activities like taking a walk, doing a puzzle or jigsaw, cooking, watching a show.

C is distracting by Contributing such as volunteering, helping someone out here on the forums who might also be struggling (helps you to feel less alone).

C is distracting by Comparing (I don't agree with this one by the way) - so comparing yourself to others who might be worse off than you either with their mental illness or from a natural disaster. It means perhaps you don't have it so bad!

E is distracting by opposite Emotions. So if you're feeling sad, watch a funny movie, listen to silly songs. I don't know either if I find this skill helpful for me.

P is distracting by Pushing Away the emotion. So it's like your Worry Box @outlander. You are pushing away your emotions so the don't threaten to overwhelm you. You can also do with thoughts. You can push them away by refusing to dwell on them. You can do this by thinking of more pleasant thoughts, or going to a 'safe place' like Nell dies.

T is distraction by using or replacing thoughts. So you can do things like count the tiles in a floor, how many windows in a pane, counting steps. You can also do things like reading, watching TV, writing poetry or journaling or anything else to distract yourself from the thoughts in your head.

S is distraction by Sensations. This is the one that holding ice helps to reset the fight/flight mode. Or using a band on the wrist, having a hot or cold shower, anything that creates a strong sensation to jolt you of what you are feeling.

I hope this helps a little with clarifying a little what some of the DT skills are.