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DBT Skills · Distress Tolerance

IMPROVE the Moment

Imagery · Meaning · Prayer · Relaxation · One thing at a time · Vacation · Encouragement

When you can't change what's happening, but you can make this moment less awful. It’s one of the DBT distress tolerance skills, and the skills picker can route a client here in the moment.

Not sure this is the right skill?

The free DBT skills picker asks what’s happening right now and routes to a skill to try.

Open the skills picker

When to reach for IMPROVE the Moment

When you can't change what's happening, but you can make this moment less awful.

How to practice IMPROVE the Moment

  1. Look at the menu. Pick one that fits this moment:
  2. **Imagery** — a safe place, a calm scene, a person who loves you.
  3. **Meaning** — what does this moment mean in a bigger frame?
  4. **Prayer / Relaxation / Vacation** — appeal to something larger / drop your shoulders / brief mental break.
  5. **One thing at a time / Encouragement** — narrow attention / coach yourself.
If it doesn’t help: the DBT skills picker routes next to ACCEPTS. Different skills land for different people and moments — trying the next-best fit is part of the method, not a failure.

Tracking IMPROVE the Moment on a diary card

Whether a client used IMPROVE the Moment — and whether it helped — is exactly what a DBT diary card captures. Recording skill use day by day is how you see, in session, whether distress tolerance skills are generalizing.

Track skill use for free

Build a custom diary card that tracks the skills you’re working on, or track it digitally in Theracharts.

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FAQ

What is IMPROVE the Moment in DBT?

IMPROVE the Moment is a DBT distress tolerance skill. When you can't change what's happening, but you can make this moment less awful.

When should I use IMPROVE the Moment?

Reach for IMPROVE the Moment when you can't change what's happening, but you can make this moment less awful.

In crisis? Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, US) — free, confidential, 24/7. This page is educational and is not therapy, diagnosis, or a substitute for professional care.