So distressed you can't think straight? Lower the intensity with these 4 skills
Psychologists Shireen Rizvi and Jesse Finkelstein discuss the 'TIP' technique, a set of skills derived from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help manage intense emotional distress. The method focuses on physical interventions like temperature changes and breathing to regulate the nervous system.
Why it matters
Provides actionable, evidence-based mental health tools for the general public to manage acute stress and emotional dysregulation.
Think about the last time you were distressed. How did you cope?
Did you lash out at someone? Drink alcohol? Pretend like it never happened?
There are healthier ways to deal with the pain. "Those behaviors are the result of not knowing how to tolerate what feels intolerable," says Shireen Rizvi , a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Montefiore Medical Center. "In those moments, we have to learn how to accept the distress and respond in a more effective way."
She explains how to do just that in her book Real Skills for Real Life: A DBT Guide to Navigating Stress, Emotions, and Relationships , published earlier this year.
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