ACCEPTS
What the 'A' stands for and 3 ways to use it
What is Activities? examples include: doing artwork, watching a show, going for a walk, etc.
What the 'E' stands for and 3 examples of ways to use it
What is Encouragement? Examples include: affirmations (I am worthy, I am capable of handling stress, I am stronger than my disorder, etc), giving yourself compliments or validation, writing a hype-up letter to yourself, etc.
3 ways to self-soothe with sense of touch
examples include: applying lotion, using a soft/fuzzy blanket, putting on clothing that just came out of the dryer, etc.
How is the pros & cons skill used?
Considering the positives and negatives of engaging in a target behavior vs. the positives and negatives of using a skill
What does S.U.D.s stand for and what does it mean?
Subjective Units of Distress. A scale from 0-10 or 1-10 to rate perceived levels of distress, where 1 is completely relaxed and 10 is in full crisis.
What the 'S' stands for and 3 ways to use it
What is Sensations? examples include lighting a candle, holding an ice pack, listening to music, etc
What the 'P' and 'R' stand for and 3 ways to use each skill
What are Prayer and Relaxation? Examples include religious prayer, seeking a higher power such as nature or Wise Mind, seeking "advice" from your best self/highest self, etc. Relaxation examples include progressive muscle relaxation, paced breathing exercises, mindful grounding techniques, etc.
3 ways to self-soothe with sense of hearing
examples include: listening to favorite songs, listening to nature sounds, focusing on the sound of a crackling fireplace, etc.
What is the 'T' in TIPP and how is this skill used?
Temperature. Examples include holding something cold or frozen, splashing face with very cold water, standing outside in colder temperatures, holding a hot pack, etc.
Define the window of tolerance. Bonus: how do we expand the window of tolerance?
Our ability to tolerate challenging or distressing situation; our threshold for staying present and rational while facing hardship. The window is expanded by continuing to sit with distress and tolerate it in a healthy way to build our mental/emotional "stamina"
What the 'P' stands for and how it is used
What is Push Away? Used to intentionally take a break from the problem or distressing situation, with a plan to return to it after a certain period of time
What the 'I' and 'V' stand for and 3 ways to use each skill
What are Improve and Vacation? examples include: visualizing a "happy place" or "safe place," visualizing yourself succeeding at overcoming your problem, imagining your desired future in recovery, etc. Vacation examples include taking a "mental vacation" using imagery, taking a break from the space and going into a different room/going for a walk, going on a drive, etc.
3 ways to self-soothe with sense of smell
examples include: applying a scented lotion or perfume/cologne, lighting a candle or incense, diffusing essential oils, baking or cooking a favorite food with a pleasant aroma, etc.
One of the P's in TIPP has to do with full body engagement. What does this 'P' stand for and how is this skill used?
Progressive or paired muscle relaxation. This involves tensing muscles as tightly as possible and then fully relaxing them, using the entire body all at once or doing certain muscle groups one at a time.
What is a key difference between the ACCEPTS skill and the IMPROVE skill? What is the key similarity?
ACCEPTS focuses on tactile tasks or activities to do. IMPROVE focuses on internal experiences to help lower distress. Both skills are intended for healthy distraction when in distress.
What the 'E' and 'T' stand for, and a way to use each of them
What are Emotions and Thoughts? Creating a different emotional experience (e.g., watching stand up comedy when sad) and giving the brain a different thought (e.g., focusing on a jigsaw puzzle or word search)
What does the 'M' stand for and what does it mean/how is it used?
Meaning; finding the deeper purpose for your struggle or difficulty. This can be finding the "silver lining" of a situation, deciding how you can grow as a person from this challenge, thinking about why a certain issue is presenting itself, etc.
3 ways to self-soothe with sense of sight
examples include: looking at photos of loved ones and pets, creating artwork to look at or hang up, finding soothing nature photos online, doing a coloring page with a variety of different colors, etc.
One of the P's in TIPP has to do with an automatic body process. What does this 'P' stand for and how is this skill used?
Paced breathing. Examples include 4-square breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, elevator breathing, color breathing, etc.
What has to be learned before one can successfully apply distress tolerance skills, and why?
Mindfulness: we have to be able to observe and describe our internal experiences before we are able to skillfully manage them. (How can we tolerate distress if we don't even know that we are in distress?)
What the two 'C's stand for and a way to use each of them
What are Comparison and Contribute? examples include: comparing to a role model or someone you admire, comparing to a time when you handled the problem successfully, etc; volunteering, doing a favor for someone, doing a random act of kindness, etc.
What does the 'O' stand for and what does it mean/how is this skill used?
3 recovery-focused ways to self-soothe with sense of taste
examples include: having herbal tea with a meal or snack, using a breath mint after eating, mindful eating bite-by-bite of a preferred food, applying flavored lip balm, etc.
What does S.T.O.P. stand for and how is this skill used?
Stop; Take a Step Back; Observe; Proceed Mindfully. Used in a crisis moment to force ourselves to pause our action and re-evaluate how to move forward in a more helpful/constructive way
What are the two terms for what happens when someone leaves their window of tolerance, and what are the symptoms of each?
Hyperarousal (high heart rate, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, etc) (fight or flight) and hypoarousal (dissociation, shutting down, feeling frozen or stuck, etc) (freeze response)