Distress Tolerance Techniques to Manage Your Emotions

"If you feel like there are times when your emotions quickly escalate and spin out of control, it may also feel like there's nothing you can do about it. Perhaps others have told you that you are "overreacting" to situations that typically do not evoke such intense feelings. But being told by others to "calm down" feels dismissive to you, and it invalidates your strong emotions."

"The problem with intense emotions that quickly escalate is that they often result in behavior that people later regret. After they've had a chance to calm down and reflect, they realize that they may have overreacted. Or, even if not, they realize that they may have done damage to their relationships or burned bridges. This kind of intense emotional reaction, known as emotional dysregulation, can also prevent people from solving problems."

"Distress tolerance has become a popular approach to addressing emotional dysregulation. It is broadly defined as the ability to withstand negative and often intense emotions in response to adverse events. These events could be physical discomfort, confrontations with others, or difficult decisions that have been made. Distress tolerance is often referred to in the context of dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, which is a comprehensive approach to treating emotional dysregulation and impulsive behavior."

Intense emotions can escalate quickly and feel uncontrollable, often producing behaviors that cause regret and damaged relationships. External dismissals, such as being told to "calm down," can feel invalidating and compound distress. Emotional dysregulation impairs problem-solving and increases impulsivity. Distress tolerance refers to the ability to withstand negative and intense emotions in response to adverse events, including physical discomfort, confrontations, or difficult decisions. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) commonly frames distress tolerance as part of a broader treatment for emotional dysregulation and impulsive behavior. Practicing distress tolerance fosters honesty about emotions, greater acceptance of uncontrollable factors, and improved capacity to handle unexpected stressors, though the skills require time and patience to develop.

Read at Psychology Today