Distress Tolerance

Distress tolerance is a skill to help soothe, calm, or distract yourself until you feel ready to handle an emotional situation and accept situations that are difficult to change.

These skills can help you in the moment of an emotional crisis or strong emotional pain.

In times of crisis when you have heightened emotions, distress tolerance skills help you manage these big feelings.  Managing these feelings can help you turn away from unhealthy coping behaviors that end up feeling worse.

Think about a time when you felt like you were in crisis.

What did you do?  Did you isolate or withdraw?  Did you turn to unhealthy coping behaviors like overeating or using alcohol or other substances to feel numb?

Note how you your behavior made you feel in the long term.

STOP is a helpful technique to slow down during moments of heightened emotion.

This week, if you notice yourself experiencing intense emotions, try the distress tolerance exercise (STOP) before reacting.  Record your experience.

Stop what you're doing.  Take a break for a minute.

Take a few deep breaths.  To help bring yourself back to the moment, say to yourself, “In” as you breathe in and, “Out” as you breathe out.

Observe, slow down, and notice.  Focus on your thoughts, feelings, and emotions.  Then, focus on where you may be holding stress in your body.  Notice any muscle tension or aches.

Proceed mindfully with something that will support you in the moment.  Some examples include reaching out to a friend, making yourself a cup of tea, or taking a walk.