This is a Really Real Mental Health Post.

I graduated from DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) today.

For 6 months I’ve spent 2 hours every Wednesday, working, intently, on skills to better myself and my mental health.

For 6 months I’ve focused on homework every week that has me practicing specific skills we learned in class that week.

For 6 months I’ve been adding more and more skills to my toolbox, making them part of my every day life and routine.

For 6 months this group has changed my life for the better.

And today I graduated.

Today they went around the room and talked about how I had impacted the lives of each person in the group.  Two of us were graduating, two of us who had started together 6 months ago.

I would completely recommend DBT to anyone who has high emotional reactivity.  Honestly, I think they are skills that should be taught in school, but since they aren’t, those of us who have mental health shit, need DBT skills in our lives.

So, today I graduated, and today I also made the decision to repeat the entire 6 month program to pick up any pieces I missed along the way.  They actually recommend you do it twice for just that reason.  You spend the first 6 months getting used to the basics of the skills, and the second time around you can learn things a bit more in depth as you pick up on everything you missed and repeat the coursework.

Why not?  It’s not like I have anything better to do on Wednesday afternoons.

I’m kidding, there’s a lot of reasons for me to do this again and I’ve put a lot of thought into it.  I had planned to take the next section or two off, and then go back, but this next section is distress tolerance, and considering how wildly my moods have been swinging, it’s a good idea to get a refresher on this section right now.

So, here’s to more DBT!