Emotion Regulation · DBT skill
Accumulate Positive Experiences
Accumulate Positive Experiences is building pleasant events into every day now, and working toward a life that fits your values over time.
The steps
- Pick one small thing today that you genuinely enjoy. 5-15 minutes.
- Do it. Not as a reward — as the thing.
- Each week, plan one larger experience: a person, a place, an event.
- Track them. Watch the bank fill. The deposits compound.
When it helps
When the days feel grey or empty.
Examples
- Short term. On a grey week, someone schedules 15 minutes each evening for something they enjoy, like a walk at sunset. They pay attention to it while it's happening instead of half-noticing.
- Long term. Someone who values community but has felt isolated signs up to volunteer one Saturday a month. Over the months, it becomes part of a life that feels more like theirs.
Where people get stuck
- Being somewhere else in your head. Worrying about when the good moment will end drains it; stay with it.
- Waiting until you feel like it. Schedule it whether or not you feel motivated.
- Only planning big events. Small daily ones matter as much.
When not to use it
It's not a way to avoid a problem that needs solving. Use it alongside problem solving, not instead of it.
Related skills
- Read the full explainer on our blog →
- DBT glossary →
- How DBT skills groups teach Emotion Regulation →
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