When intense emotions hit, it can feel like a tidal wave. You might feel overwhelmed and unable to cope. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers powerful “Distress Tolerance” skills. These skills help you get through intense emotional moments without making things worse. The TIPP skills are a quick way to calm your nervous system when emotions feel too strong.
Understanding TIPP Skills
TIPP is an acronym for four distinct skills:
- Temperature
- Intense Exercise
- Paced Breathing
- Paired Muscle Relaxation
These skills work by directly changing your body’s physiology. This can quickly reduce emotional arousal and shift your nervous system out of “high alert.”
How to Use TIPP Skills
Here’s how to practice each TIPP skill when you’re feeling overwhelmed:
Temperature (Icy Cold Water)
This skill uses the “dive reflex” to instantly calm your body.
What to do: Get a bowl of ice water. Plunge your face into the bowl for 15-30 seconds, holding your breath. You can also hold an ice pack on your face, wrists, or neck.
Why it works: The cold temperature, especially on your face, tells your body to slow down your heart rate and breathing. This brings you out of the intense fight-or-flight response.
Practice Tip: Keep an ice pack in your freezer for quick access.
Intense Exercise (Move Your Body)
When you’re flooded with emotion, your body is full of pent-up energy. Releasing this energy can help.
What to do: Engage in intense physical activity for 10-20 minutes. This could be running, jumping jacks, dancing, brisk walking, or pushing against a wall. The goal is to get your heart rate up.
Why it works: Physical exertion helps burn off adrenaline and other stress chemicals in your body. It also shifts your focus away from the intense emotion.
Practice Tip: Create a playlist of energetic songs you can quickly turn on when you need to move.
Paced Breathing (Breathe Slowly)
Slowing your breathing directly signals your nervous system to calm down.
What to do: Breathe deeply from your diaphragm (your belly). Slowly inhale for a count of 4, hold for 2, and exhale slowly for a count of 6. Make your exhale longer than your inhale.
Why it works: This type of breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is your body’s “rest and digest” system. It counters the rapid breathing of anxiety or panic.
Practice Tip: You can count silently in your head or use a guided breathing app.
Paired Muscle Relaxation (Tense and Release)
This skill helps you become aware of tension in your body and consciously release it.
What to do: Go through different muscle groups in your body. Tense each muscle group tightly for 5-7 seconds, then completely relax it for 15-20 seconds. Notice the difference between tension and relaxation. Start with your feet and work your way up to your head.
Why it works: By consciously tensing and then relaxing, you teach your body how to let go of physical tension. This also helps reduce mental stress.
Practice Tip: Pay close attention to how your body feels during both the tension and relaxation phases.
Putting TIPP into Practice
The TIPP skills are meant for moments of crisis. They help you survive intense emotions without making things worse. You do not need to feel better immediately. The goal is to get through the wave of emotion. Practice these skills when you are calm, too. This builds your confidence in using them when you need them most.