← Distress Tolerance
Pros and cons
Weigh acting on a crisis urge against riding it out — before the urge hits.
When to use it
Any time you have to choose between two courses of action, especially a strong urge that would make things worse long-term.
Make four lists
- Pros of acting on the urge.
- Cons of acting on the urge.
- Pros of resisting — tolerating the distress.
- Cons of resisting.
Before the crisis
Write your pros and cons out and keep them with you. Rehearse them.
When the urge hits
- Read your list again.
- Focus on long-term goals — the light at the end of the tunnel.
- Remember times your pain has ended.
- Remember what happened before when you acted on impulse.