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