Self-Soothe
When you need to be soothed, not solved. 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 pickerWhen to reach for Self-Soothe
When you need to be soothed, not solved.
How to practice Self-Soothe
- Pick the sense that calls most right now: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.
- Find one comforting thing in that channel: a soft blanket, a warm drink, a song.
- Use it slowly, on purpose. Pay attention to the comfort itself.
- Stay with it longer than feels needed. The body needs full doses.
Tracking Self-Soothe on a diary card
Whether a client used Self-Soothe — 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.
Build a diary cardAll DBT skillsFAQ
What is Self-Soothe in DBT?
Self-Soothe is a DBT distress tolerance skill. When you need to be soothed, not solved.
When should I use Self-Soothe?
Reach for self-soothe when you need to be soothed, not solved.
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.