DBT Therapy: Regulating Emotions After Workplace Micro-Aggressions
Workplaces can be complicated, especially when subtle bias shows up. Offhand comments or “jokes” can quietly chip away at confidence, fuel stress, and lead to burnout. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) offers practical tools to navigate these challenges with resilience, mindfulness, and emotional balance.
Understanding Microaggressions and Their Impact
Microaggressions are subtle, often unintentional comments or behaviours that express bias toward someone’s identity, like race, gender, or ability. They might sound like a backhanded compliment (“You’re so articulate for your age”) or a dismissive remark (“I don’t see colour”).
These moments may seem small but build up over time, creating an invalidating environment where emotions are dismissed or minimized. Repeated exposure increases anxiety and exhaustion, often leading to burnout.
Physically, microaggressions trigger stress; mentally, they can cause anger or self-doubt. Without coping tools, these feelings build up into emotional shutdown or chronic tension, where therapy and stress management become essential.
How DBT Helps You Heal
DBT was created for intense emotions and invalidating environments. Its balance of acceptance and change makes it especially helpful for managing the emotional toll of microaggressions.
DBT helps you hold two truths at once:
“This situation hurts,” and “I can choose how to respond.”
Through this mindset, you learn to replace reactivity with intention. Instead of shutting down or lashing out, you respond with grounded awareness and mindfulness.
Why DBT Supports Long-Term Resilience
DBT combines acceptance with practical change. It teaches emotion regulation to calm intensity, interpersonal skills to assert needs, and distress tolerance to manage discomfort. Together, these build resilience and prevent burnout.
You begin to view difficult interactions as opportunities for growth, not personal defeats. Over time, this mindset supports burnout prevention by reducing emotional fatigue and reinforcing a sense of internal stability.
The Four Steps of DBT and How They Apply
DBT is structured around four core skill sets, each one essential for maintaining emotional balance in a complex workplace:
Mindfulness
Learn to stay present and grounded, noticing your thoughts and emotions without judgment. When this happens, mindfulness allows you to pause and breathe.Distress Tolerance
These skills help you cope with immediate emotional discomfort. Use grounding, deep breathing, or brief distraction.Emotion Regulation
By identifying and naming your feelings, you gain control over them. DBT teaches strategies like checking the facts and using opposite action, responding in ways that align with your values rather than your emotional impulses.Interpersonal Effectiveness
This skill set helps you communicate assertively and maintain self-respect. Tools like DEAR MAN can guide you in setting boundaries or addressing micro-aggressions with clarity and professionalism.
Healing Starts with Support
Experiencing microaggressions can be painful, but you don’t have to face them alone. DBT therapy offers a roadmap from reactivity to resilience, helping you honour your emotions while protecting your peace. Contact us to book a free 15-minute consultation at Healing Voices Psychotherapy today.
