DIY Mental Health

A little late today, sorry. Still haven't figured out how to get the bot working. This week’s skill is Check the Facts, which helps you figure out whether your emotions are pointing to something useful or just overwhelming you. Before diving into distraction or emotion-numbing tools, pause and ask: is this emotion Relevant, Important, and Actionable?

• Relevant: Does this emotion actually make sense for what’s happening? If it doesn’t, you might be reacting to something else. Use skills like STOP or Behavior Chain Analysis to slow things down and get clearer on the real issue.

• Important: Will ignoring this cause more problems later? If so, it might be time to shift focus to other skills like PLEASE (for physical self-care), Build Mastery (for skill-building), or DEAR MAN and FAST (for communication and boundaries).

• Actionable: Can you do anything about this right now? If not, it's okay to use coping tools like Opposite Action, ACCEPTS, or IMPROVE to get through the moment and deal with the situation later.

This skill doesn’t solve the problem for you, but it helps you choose the right next move. It’s like running a quick systems check before deciding which tool to grab. More on this is in the wiki.

I also didn't do my mood logging this week, I wanna update the applet to store the data better but haven't gotten around to it. It stores the data well enough for it's own use but one of the features is supposed to be a csv output so that you can analyze it in a spreadsheet app.

STOP and Pros & Cons are basically just ways to conceptualize slowing down long enough to think about the consequences of your actions. They kind of work under the assumption that you already know what you're supposed to do, you just need a second to talk yourself into it.

This was my mood log for the week:
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(I didn't do one. It was a weird week. Will try harder this week.)

Wiki Pages for: TIPP | Sensory Self-Soothe

Pictured is actually me with my self-soothing cup of herbal tea. It's specifically this one if you're curious.

good time for this module I feel like complete garbage. Imma go with pros and cons I think. The pros of obeying my sleep hygiene schedule right this second are numerous and the cons are few. Similarly, doing dumb shit has very few upsides especially in the long term. See you all when I wake up.

edit: lol forgot to even include the wiki page.

IDK why the scheduler bot didn't go off but this week's theme is Radical Acceptance (and turning the mind which is basically just brute forcing that shit until you're good at it).

I'm just gonna roll the mood long post into this one because I'm tired. I'm trying to make sharing it wordle style ⋆˙⟡A Thing✧˖°. but I don't actually know enough about programming to make a mood logger app with that feature. Here's my week though:

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My insight for the week is that I suck at remembering to log my mood.

If anybody wants to help me with the tech end of this it would be much appreciated.

The moral of the story is, you can accept the existence of something but still hate it.

How are your moods and behaviors interacting lately? Some examples of things you could share that aren't a full diary card could be:

• a connection you made ("I snap at people more when I'm tired")

• a wordle-style mood breakdown 🟩🟥🟨⬜🟩🟨🟥 (white is a missed day)

• how many days of the week you remembered to write everything down (3/7, 6/7)

No pressure—just whatever feels useful or interesting to you.

"These skills help you manage attention and reactions more skillfully:

• One-Mindfully: Focus on one thing at a time—if you’re eating, just eat; if you’re with someone, really be there. This helps you stay grounded instead of scattered or distracted. If your mind wanders or you multitask, gently bring your attention back.

• Non-Judgmentally: Notice what’s happening without labeling it as good or bad. Don’t try to stop judgmental thoughts; just recognize them and let them go without buying into them.

• Effectively: Do what works in a situation, even if it’s not fair or satisfying. This means sometimes letting go of being “right” to reduce stress and handle things wisely. It’s about choosing your battles and accepting reality to make better decisions.

Using these skills can improve focus, reduce emotional struggle, and help you respond more wisely in everyday situations. More details and exercises are on the wiki."

How are your moods and behaviors interacting lately? Some examples of things you could share that aren't a full diary card could be:

• a connection you made ("I snap at people more when I'm tired")

• a wordle-style mood breakdown 🟩🟥🟨⬜🟩🟨🟥 (white is a missed day)

• how many days of the week you remembered to write everything down (3/7, 6/7)

No pressure—just whatever feels useful or interesting to you.

What Skills Summary

These are three core mindfulness practices used to stay present and grounded:

• Observe: Notice what’s happening (inside or outside you) without judging or labeling it. Just watch your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings come and go like clouds or leaves floating by. This helps create distance from overwhelming emotions and reduces reactivity.

• Describe: Put words to what you're observing, sticking to the facts. Label what you feel or notice without exaggeration or judgment—just clear, simple language. This builds self-awareness and helps you communicate more clearly.

• Participate: Get fully into what you’re doing—no analyzing, no multitasking, just being all in. This helps you stay present and keeps your mind from drifting into worry or rumination.

Used together, these skills help you quiet your mind, manage strong emotions, and build everyday mindfulness. More details and exercises are on the wiki if you're ready to try the skills out this week!

Wiki page for reference

How are your moods and behaviors interacting lately? Some examples of things you could share that aren't a full diary card could be:

• a connection you made ("I snap at people more when I'm tired")

• a wordle-style mood breakdown 🟩🟥🟨⬜🟩🟨🟥 (white is a missed day)

• how many days of the week you remembered to write everything down (3/7, 6/7)

No pressure—just whatever feels useful or interesting to you.

This week we’re exploring Wise Mind, a DBT idea about holding two truths at once—balancing emotion and logic instead of picking sides. It’s about finding real understanding in the middle. The wiki page has lots of examples, including one that fits well with the values of this community:

“I am angry with you… and I will treat you with respect.”

It shows how you can hold strong feelings without losing kindness or boundaries. Check out the page and add your own dialectic statements if you want.

this week’s focus is mindfulness. it’s the foundation for a lot of other skills and helps you slow down and notice what’s happening before you react. This first time around I'm going to go through the whole module before moving on to distress tolerance, but after that I'll only repeat it for a week between each of the other modules.

Just to introduce the concept; if sitting still or being in your head is hard, try one of these short videos:

• can’t sit still

• thinking about my thoughts sucks

• mindfulness feels fake / pretentious

optional check-in:

• something you tried this week

• a pattern or connection you noticed

• any resource that helped

no pressure to share. take what’s useful.

i started this space because i wanted something a little more structured than most online support groups and rooted in real-life coping tools—but still chill and decentralized. this isn’t therapy, and it’s not medical advice. it’s just a peer space to share specific skills that have helped, and maybe learn a few new ones along the way.

for context: i am a mental health professional, but i’m not your therapist. i’m not here in any official or clinical capacity—this is a volunteer project, a mutual aid effort to make skills more accessible. i’ve received a lot of therapy personally, and while I don't provide a lot of talk therapy at work, I've definitely seen what lack of access does to people, so I just wanted to give something back to the community.

My Current Plan

• weekly-ish posts about one specific skill at a time, mostly drawn from DBT, CBT, WRAP, and similar approaches

• if you want, you can respond with something that helped you, or drop a quick snippet from your diary card or mood tracker (like “i felt X and realized it was connected to Y”)

• this isn’t a course or a step-by-step system. there is a suggested order on the wiki, if you want a place to start—but the whole point is that you get to set your own pace and focus on what’s most relevant to you

• this isn’t a crisis space (see the wiki for how to find support if you’re in danger), and it’s not a replacement for therapy. but if you’re looking for practical tools, shared experiences, and mutual support—welcome.

a few other notes...

• suggestions on how to make this space better are very welcome. when i do teach these kinds of skills professionally, it’s usually 1:1—so doing it asynchronously and in a community format is new to me.

• i’m okay with tech stuff but still struggling with stuff like getting a bot working. probably going to just use a scheduler service for now. if you’re into that kind of thing and want to help, let me know.

• i’m also building a resource archive of links (so that nothing is hosted here) so we can keep track of useful worksheets, videos, etc. if there’s a piece of media that helped you understand a skill, feel free to share it. i’ll try to link to it on the relevant wiki page. and if you ever find a broken link, dm me and i’ll fix it.

Wiki | Matrix

thanks for being here.