DBT | Distress Tolerance | TIPP

When beginning to learn DBT, I found the skill I used most was TIPP. This skill is for when you are at your emotional breaking point and need help calming down quickly. As you begin to navigate your way around how DBT works and learn more skills and awareness, you will find yourself beginning to notice your distress early enough to be able to implement other skills but certainly in the beginning, it is very difficult to cope with emotional distress with little to no skills and we find ourselves getting to this emotional breaking point sometimes before even noticing our distress has escalated beyond reasoning. TIPP is one of the very first skills I learned and was certainly my most used in the early days.

What does TIPP stand for?

TIPP stands for:

Temperature Intense exercise Paced breathing Paired muscle relaxation

Temperature

This one needs to be carried out with caution, particularly if you have pre existing medical conditions. Low temperatures can cause your blood pressure to drop and high temperatures can cause a rise in blood pressure and because some medical conditions can be exacerbated by extreme temperature changes so you should consult a doctor prior to trying this skill and it should be executed with caution.

Artificially changing your body’s temperature can have a profound effect on your central nervous system and help calm you down quickly in times of emotional distress. The shock of the temperature change can cause a shift in your ability to cope and help deescalate things and prevent things getting worse.

Colder temperatures decrease your heart rate which can help in times of extreme emotional overwhelm and anxiety. Splashing your face with cold water, having a cool shower, holding an ice pack on your chest, rubbing your face with an ice cube can all help achieve this.

Warmer temperatures can also help provide comfort and so are helpful for periods of lower moods, I find turning on a heated blanket, holding a hot water bottle or having a warm bath helpful and calming.

Intense Exercise

Any kind of intense movement such as running as fast as you can up and down your stairs, turning on some music and dancing, jumping jacks, any kind fo cardio based movement that is going to get your blood pumping will help you to disperse that built up energy inside as a result of your overwhelming emotions – you want the intensity of your exercise to match the intensity of your emotion.

Keep the duration short, 10-15 minutes should suffice and hopefully you will find yourself in a calmer, more balanced mood afterwards.

Paced Breathing

As we begin to feel out of control inside our minds our bodies will follow suit. Things like increased heart rate, faster breathing, sweating, etc are all signs of feeling overwhelmed and taking back control of your breathing will help calm all of these things down too. Paced breathing is a simple technique that brings your attention to breath control and timing your inhalation and exhalation and will help bring back some control to you.

To practice paced breathing, try the following technique:

Breath deeply through your nose for four seconds and then breathe out through your mouth for six seconds. Repeat these steps for 1-2 minutes.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

When we get overwhelmed our bodies will tense up and our muscles will be taught and painful. In order to relax these muscles when we are experiencing periods of extreme emotions we can try progressive muscle relaxation. To do this, sit down somewhere comfortable, or even lay down and become aware of the muscles in your body. Begin at the top, with your upper back and shoulders and deliberately tense them for five seconds. After those few seconds, let go of that tightness and be aware of the sensation of the muscles in that area of your body relaxing. Repeat this process with your arms, abdominal muscles, your glutes (bottom), thighs, calves and feet. This is a great way for your body to be able to let go of some of the extra energy it has accumulated from being in emotional distress.

*I am not a medical professional, I am not qualified in any therapies I am just someone with lived experience of mental illness wanting to share the knowledge I’ve been lucky enough to learn during my journey. Please always contact a licensed medical professional if you are struggling. My posts are not a substitute for proper medical intervention*