ACCEPTS: Distraction to Get Through a Crisis
A menu of seven healthy distraction skills from DBT for getting through a tough moment without making it worse. The aim is to tolerate the distress until it passes or you can deal with it - not to solve the problem right now.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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ACCEPTS: Distraction to Get Through a Crisis
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What it is and when to use it
ACCEPTS is a set of seven healthy distractions for getting through a crisis without making it worse. Use it when distress is high, the feeling is too strong to think clearly, and acting on the urge right now would cause harm or regret. The goal is to ride out the wave safely until the feeling drops or you can deal with the problem - distraction here is a skill, not avoidance. The seven letters stand for Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions, Pushing away, Thoughts, and Sensations.
The ACCEPTS menu - pick what helps
Each letter is a different way to distract yourself safely. Tick the ones you want to try right now. You can use more than one.
Make it personal
Distraction works best when it is ready to hand. Note your own ideas for the options that suit you, so you do not have to think them up in the moment.
How did it go?
After using one or more skills, notice whether the distress eased. Even a small drop means it worked - the goal is to get through, not to feel perfect.
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When to use ‘ACCEPTS: Distraction to Get Through a Crisis’
‘ACCEPTS: Distraction to Get Through a Crisis’ is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet. As a core CBT skill it is used right across the model, with presentations including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma and low self-esteem, rather than being tied to a single diagnosis.
It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device — or download it as a print-ready PDF.
How it works
Most people work through it in around 5 minutes. It moves through four short steps:
- What it is and when to use it — ACCEPTS is a set of seven healthy distractions for getting through a crisis without making it worse. Use it when distress is high, the…
- The ACCEPTS menu - pick what helps — Each letter is a different way to distract yourself safely. Tick the ones you want to try right now. You can use more than one.
- Make it personal — Distraction works best when it is ready to hand. Note your own ideas for the options that suit you, so you do not have to think them up in…
- How did it go? — After using one or more skills, notice whether the distress eased. Even a small drop means it worked - the goal is to get through, not to…
Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.
The CBT approach behind it
In common with other CBT methods, ‘ACCEPTS: Distraction to Get Through a Crisis’ works by putting clear, personalised coping steps in place for difficult moments. The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going — and practical, testable ways to change it.
Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.
Evidence & sources
This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:
- Linehan, M.M. (2015). DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
- Linehan, M.M. (1993). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. New York: Guilford Press.
For use alongside professional support
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
- Emergency services: 999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger
- Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
- SANEline: 0800 689 5555 — 4:30pm–10:30pm, every day
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