Improving the Moment

In my last post, I wrote about some ways I combat anxiety through mantras. Another way I use to cope with anxiety comes from DBT. The acronym IMPROVE provides a list of ways to improve depression and anxiety in the moment. IMPROVE stands for:

• I: Imagery
• M: Meaning
• P: Prayer
• R: Relaxation
• O: One Thing in the Moment
• V: Vacation
• E: Encouragement

To find out more about each, check out the article on the Mindsoother website, "How to Improve the Moment." In this post, I'll focus on imagery, meaning, and prayer.

Imagery involves imagining a situation that's better than the current situation. It can be an idealized future situation where things work out well. It could also be a past situation where life circumstances were positive. Using imagery has worked for me at times because I tend to think about negative experiences in the past or worry about what could go wrong in the future.

Meaning is about recognizing values and/or looking at past circumstances to tap into the meaning that can be learned from them. Using meaning has helped me think about what I can learn from past difficult situations as well as how I can apply my values to my current situation to turn it into an outcome I can improve.

Prayer lets one submit to the will of a higher power and helps one realize her or his own helplessness. As a Christian, it is helpful to me to know that Jesus went through every human experience and emotion that I do, so that God understands our suffering. At times I've struggled with my belief in God, especially because there's so much suffering in the world. I've heard and learned that there are just no easy answers, and that disbelieving in God will not make that suffering go away.

Relaxation is self-explanatory, but I'll explain it anyway. One can use a variety of ways to relax—meditation, progressive relaxation, listening to music, etc. The key is to find something that works. Sometimes my difficulties with relaxation stem from being anxious enough that I can't find something to relax as my mind continues to wander back to my worries. I'm now going to try harder to practice relaxation techniques when I'm not as anxious, so that when I am I'll be more likely to be successful.

Up next will be the rest of the IMPROVE techniques for coping with depression and anxiety. Thanks for reading.

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