TIPP

Change your body chemistry fast when emotions are too high to think.

When to use it

Red zone. When you’re at your skills breakdown point and can’t think straight.

Temperature

Ice-cold water on your face while holding your breath (15–30 sec) triggers the dive reflex and slows your heart. Or hold something cold, or take a cold shower.

Intense exercise

Wear yourself out: run, stairs, push-ups, jumping jacks, dancing.

Progressive muscle relaxation

Tense each muscle group 5 seconds, release 10, from toes to face.

Paced breathing

Breathe in 4–6 seconds, hold 4–6, out 4–6, hold 4–6. Repeat.

Remember

Distress tolerance skills don’t solve the problem. They bring the intensity down so you can use other skills once it’s manageable.

Skip the cold-water dive and the hard exercise if you have heart problems, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or an eating-disorder plan that restricts exercise. Check with your doctor if you’re unsure. Respect your body’s limits with all of these.

Learning it

TIPP works on your body, not your thoughts — that’s why it works when nothing else will. Try the cold-water step once on a calm day so it isn’t a surprise in a crisis.

Paced breathing (box)Progressive muscle relaxation STOP Red zone, blue zone