DBT and Anxiety
How DBT Can Help Treat Anxiety
Anxiety can feel like a constant hum in the background or like a tidal wave that hits out of nowhere. It shows up in racing thoughts, tight chests, spiraling worst-case scenarios, overthinking, avoidance, and the sense that no matter how hard you try, it’s just too much.
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health struggles, and the good news is, it’s also highly treatable.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers a practical, compassionate approach to managing anxiety. Instead of telling you to “just calm down,” DBT gives you tools to actually understand your anxiety and respond to it in healthier, more grounded ways.
What is DBT?
DBT is a structured therapy approach that blends mindfulness, behavioral strategies, and emotional regulation. It was originally developed for people who experience intense emotions, but it’s now used to support folks dealing with everything from substance use and eating disorders to depression and anxiety.
What makes DBT so effective for anxiety is its focus on skill-building. You don’t just talk about how you feel; you learn how to cope with those feelings in real time. And you do it with equal parts compassion and accountability.
Understanding Anxiety Through a DBT Lens
Anxiety isn’t “bad.” It’s your nervous system trying to protect you. But when that protective response gets stuck in overdrive, it can start to disrupt your daily life.
In DBT, we get curious about what your anxiety is trying to tell you. We look at what triggers it, how it shows up in your body, and what thoughts tend to spiral when it kicks in. From there, we work on building a more stable foundation so you can meet your anxiety with tools instead of panic.
DBT Skills That Help with Anxiety
Here’s how each of DBT’s core skill sets can support anxiety recovery:
1. Mindfulness
Anxiety pulls us into the future: into “what ifs” and imagined catastrophes. Mindfulness helps bring you back to the present. It teaches you how to notice your thoughts without getting swept away by them, and how to come back to your body when your mind feels like a tornado.
2. Emotion Regulation
When anxiety takes over, your emotional system is overwhelmed. DBT helps you build skills to reduce emotional vulnerability, name what you’re feeling, and respond in a way that’s aligned with your values rather than your fear.
3. Distress Tolerance
Sometimes, anxiety just is. DBT teaches you how to ride the wave without making it worse. You’ll learn how to manage physical symptoms, ground yourself during panic attacks, and get through high-stress moments without turning to self-sabotaging behaviors.
4. Interpersonal Effectiveness
Anxiety can make communication feel impossible. Maybe you avoid conflict, over-apologize, or stay quiet to keep the peace. DBT helps you set boundaries, ask for support, and express your needs more clearly, all while staying connected to yourself.
Healing is Possible (Even if It Doesn’t Feel Like It Yet)
Anxiety tells you that you're not safe, not capable, not enough. DBT helps you challenge that narrative. It doesn’t promise that you’ll never feel anxious again, but it does offer you the skills to meet your anxiety with awareness, self-trust, and more choice.
You are not your anxious thoughts. You are so much more.
Ready to learn how DBT can support you with anxiety?
I’d love to help. Click here to schedule a free consultation and see if this kind of work feels right for you.