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