Distress Tolerance - Dealing with the Stress of Quarantine

Distress Tolerance - Distract with ACCEPTS

As all of us adjust to the “shelter in place” place mandate and learn of increasing numbers of COVID-19 diagnoses, you might notice yourself feeling frustrated, afraid, sad or a combination of many emotions. As we adapt to having more time alone or downtime with family members, being able to modulate your emotions is very helpful in reducing negative interactions and worsening of mood.

Distress Tolerance Skills, also referred to as the “Crisis Survival” skills in DBT therapy, emphasizes the importance of stopping and using temporary activities to reduce emotional states and prevent the worsening of interactions.

Distress Tolerance Skills are helpful when you cannot currently solve a problem due to the intensity of your emotions or those of others, timing, lack of skill or the inability to access support at that time. If you engage in dysfunctional behaviors, the situation could lead to worse consequences, so using Distress Tolerance skills to tolerate a situation temporarily until you can effectively problem solve is a helpful choice.

Distress Tolerance skills are not ways to avoid, just temporary activities to reduce your emotional intensity and not make the situation worse!

DISTRESS TOLERANCE SKILL

Distract yourself with ACCEPTS

Activity

Do Something: call a friend, write in a journal, bake, take a walk, listen to uplifting music, play a game.

Contributing

Contribute to (do something nice for) someone: help a friend, donate things you don’t need, surprise someone, compliment someone, offer to buy groceries for an elderly neighbor that should avoid public areas due to “shelter in place” mandate.

Comparisons

Compare yourself to those less fortunate, compare yourself to a time when you were doing worse, think of others and how this “shelter in place” mandate might be impacting them.

Emotions

Create different emotions: watch a funny video and limit information about COVID-19 to reputable sources only, do something active when you are feeling sad from sitting around so much, read jokes on a website, take a walk to a location with a view to inspire a sense of “awe.”

Pushing Away

Push the painful feelings away TEMPORARILY: Leave the situation mentally by moving your attention and thoughts away, build an imaginary wall between you and the situation, put the pain in a box on the shelf temporarily, only read about COVID-19 facts during a specific and short time during the day.

Thoughts

Replace your thoughts: read, do a word search or crossword puzzle, think of events that you are looking forward to after the “shelter in place” mandate is lifted, repeat the words to a song in your mind, keep your thoughts on “facts” of COVID-19 and not let your thoughts go to worry.

Sensations

Intensity other sensations: hold or chew ice, listen to uplifting music when you are feeling frustrated, take a warm bath with essential oils, stretch, pet your dog or cat.