Distress Tolerance (crisis survival)
Distress Tolerance skills are your crisis survival toolkit. They help you get through painful moments without making things worse — without resorting to self-destructive behaviors or doing something you'll regret.
When to Use These Skills
Use distress tolerance skills when:
- You're in crisis and emotions are overwhelming
- You can't solve the problem right now
- Acting on your impulses would make things worse
- You need to ride out intense urges
Key Skills in This Module
- TIP — Change your body chemistry fast (Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, Paired muscle relaxation)
- ACCEPTS — Distract yourself skillfully until the crisis passes
- Radical Acceptance — Accept reality as it is, without approval
- Self-Soothe — Use your five senses to comfort yourself
- IMPROVE the Moment — Imagery, Meaning, Prayer, Relaxation, One thing, Vacation, Encouragement
These skills need to be practiced before a crisis occurs. When you're in the middle of overwhelming emotions, it's much harder to remember and apply new skills. Practice now so they're available when you need them.
In this section
TIPP (change body chemistry fast)
Reduce extreme emotional arousal quickly.
Pros and Cons (weigh options in crisis)
A skill for making wise decisions in crisis by listing the pros and cons of tolerating distress versus acting on impulses.
ACCEPTS (distract to ride out urges)
Short-term distraction tools to help you survive a crisis/urge without acting impulsively.
Self-Soothe with Six Senses
Use your six senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and movement) to comfort yourself during emotional distress.
IMPROVE the Moment
Imagery, Meaning, Prayer, Relaxation, One thing in the moment, Vacation, and Encouragement—seven strategies to make a painful moment more bearable.
Half-Smiling & Willing Hands
Body-based acceptance skills. Half-smiling relaxes your face to shift emotions. Willing hands signals acceptance to your brain.
Radical Acceptance
Fully acknowledging reality as it is (not approving it), to reduce suffering.
Turning the Mind (choose acceptance)
The mental act of choosing to accept reality, again and again—like turning at a fork in the road away from rejection and toward acceptance.
Willingness vs. Willfulness
Willingness is choosing to participate fully in life and respond to situations as they are. Willfulness is refusing to accept reality, giving up, or trying to control what cannot be controlled.