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