Distress tolerance skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) help you survive adolescence crisis without making things worse.
TIPP Skills for Acute Adolescence
Temperature: Cold water on face activates the dive reflex, rapidly reducing adolescence intensity
Intense exercise: 20 minutes of vigorous exercise discharges adolescence physiological activation
Paced breathing: Slow the breath (especially exhale) to activate parasympathetic system
Progressive muscle relaxation: Systematic tension-release reduces adolescence physical symptoms
ACCEPTS Skills for Riding Out Adolescence
Activities that engage attention away from adolescence Contributing to others shifts focus from adolescence Comparisons that provide perspective on adolescence Emotions opposite to adolescence — deliberately generated Pushing away adolescence temporarily when you can't act on it now Thoughts that replace adolescence rumination Sensations that provide strong alternative input
When Distress Tolerance Is the Right Skill for Adolescence
Use distress tolerance when adolescence is intense but the situation can't change right now. The goal is surviving without making things worse — not solving adolescence.