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