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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Using the Pros and Cons is a skill taught in &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt-for-bpd-425454&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Dialectical Behavior Therapy&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; (DBT), a cognitive behavior approach to borderline personality disorder (BPD). During DBT, this tool is used to help you evaluate whether or not to engage in &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/impulsive-behavior-and-bpd-425483&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;impulsive behaviors&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u00A0or aggressive actions. But this tool can help you think through other kinds of decisions too. By thinking through the consequences of what may happen and by evaluating what your goal is for your behavior, you can help manage your symptoms. If you are struggling to decide what to do in a given situation, give the Pros and Cons Tool a try.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Getting Ready to Use the Pros and Cons Tool&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Get a piece of paper and draw one horizontal and one vertical line to divide it into quarters. At the top of the upper left hand corner write \u201Cpros of BLANK.\u201D Fill in the blank by writing in whatever behavior you are thinking of doing. For example, if you are thinking of &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/interpersonal-relationships-and-bpd-425477&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;fighting with someone&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; who hurt you, write in \u201Chitting.\u201D If you are thinking of &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/want-to-quit-therapy-425341&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;quitting therapy&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, write in \u201Cpros of quitting therapy.\u201D At the top of the upper right hand corner write \u201Ccons of BLANK\u201D and fill in the blank with whatever you wrote in the upper left hand corner (i.e., cons of hitting, cons of quitting therapy).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Next, at the top of the lower left hand corner write \u201Cpros of BLANK.\u201D Fill in the blank with the behavior that is the &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;opposite&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt; of whatever you are thinking of doing. So, if you are thinking of fighting, write in \u201Cpros of not fighting.&amp;amp;#34; For the quitting therapy example, write in \u201Cpros of staying in therapy.\u201D At the top of the lower right hand corner right \u201Ccons of BLANK\u201D and again fill in the blank with the behavior that is the opposite of the one you are thinking of doing.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Listing the Pros and Cons&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Now that you have your sheet set up, fill in the squares with all the positive consequences (\u201Cpros\u201D) and negative consequences (\u201Ccons\u201D) that you can think of for each scenario. Feel free to use extra paper if you need it.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;For example, for \u201Cpros of fighting you might write: \u201CGet rid of the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-accepting-emotions-can-improve-emotional-health-425368&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;emotional&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; pain instantly.\u201D For \u201Cpros of not hitting\u201D you might write, \u201CNot getting in trouble at work or school.\u201D&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Or, for \u201Cpros\u201D of quitting therapy you might write: \u201CAn extra hour each week to devote to other things.\u201D For \u201Ccons\u201D of quitting therapy you might write: \u201CHave to try to find ways to reduce my symptoms on my own.\u201D&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;How to Evaluate the Pros and Cons&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Once you have completed the form with every consequence you can think of, take a look at it again, and see if anything stands out to you. Any patterns that you notice? Any quadrants that are empty, or full? After completing this exercise, does it change what you want to do?&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Carefully evaluate the pros and cons, and compare them to what your purpose is. If, for instance, your goal is to eventually recover from borderline personality disorder and have a strong relationship, there&amp;amp;#39;s steps you need to take to get there. Quitting therapy, while it may free up some time, will make it harder for you to reach your end goal. By looking at both sides of the situation and their repercussions, you can make more appropriate and measured decisions about how to act.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;For more skills to use to cope with &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-borderline-personality-disorder-bpd-425487&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;borderline personality disorder (BPD)&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; symptoms, please view the following page:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/coping-skills-borderline-personality-disorder-425412&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Coping with Symptoms of BPD&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Source:&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Linehan MM. &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Skills Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;. New York: Guilford, 1993. &amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.verywell.com/the-pros-and-cons-tool-425385>