11/04/2026
As a person who experiences depression and anxiety, I know intimately how difficult it can be to do things when in this state of mind. Avoidance can become a habitual way of navigating the world. Skip the social event with friends. Push off doing laundry. Avoid having that difficult conversation. Delay that important task at work.
That's where the DBT skill of opposition action can be helpful. Opposite action encourages us to do actions that are opposite to our current feelings. Especially, when acting on that feeling is not effective or doesn't fit the facts. As an example, the emotion of sadness might lead to the urge to stay home in bed. Instead, by using opposite action, we get active, engage, and use the skill of full participation. For fear, the action urge may be to avoid the cause of the fear. Instead, when using opposite action, we face the situation that is causing us anxiety while staying mindful and present as we do it.
The musician .0 expresses this skill musically in his song, Do It Anyway". The lyrics read,
"If I were to tell you the truth
I don't always feel happy to do
All the things I'm supposed to do
But I know that's when I gotta execute...
Gotta prove to yourself gotta keep showing up
Every day keep your word get better than who you was
So the person in the mirror is someone you can trust
Some days you gotta stay up late
Some days you gotta do the things you hate"
This may sound easy, but can be difficult to implement. The skill of opposite action can even feel invalidating. And, sometimes, invalidation can be a good thing when it helps us improve our lives.
How do you use the skill of opposite action? Let us know below 👇🏻
