Dealing with distress#

Distress ToleranceWeek 3

While you’re calm, make sure you prepare by writing:

A list of personal distress signifiers.
- For example, you may deal with difficulty sleeping, irritability or harmful thoughts.
- When recovering from a crisis or period of distress, it’s important to look back & evaluate what you could have done differently. This isn’t to shame yourself, or to judge yourself, but to learn from your mistakes & find ways to intervene more quickly & effectively next time.
An instruction sheet for coping with distress, sometimes called a Trying Times Plan.
- Aim to have a few sets of instructions: for yourself, for a friend or family member. and for mental health professionals.
- Depending on your treatment, you will likely already have something like this in place. If it’s been a while, it may be worth refreshing yourself & ensuring it’s up-to-date.

Remember: Distress is easier to deal with earlier, before it escalates.

Using skills to help tolerate & reduce distress is useful, but it’s more effective if you use those skills deliberately & mindfully.