Distress Tolerance

Distress tolerance is a person’s ability to manage actual or perceived emotional distress. It also involves being able to make it through an emotional incident without making it worse.

What is distress tolerance good for?

Distress tolerance skills will also help create short-term relief for painful situations. They help to minimize the risk of impulsive actions that come as a result of the desire to alleviate the pain that an individual is in during a crisis.

What are common signs of distress?

• Feeling overwhelmed, helpless, or hopeless
• Feeling guilty without a clear cause
• Spending a lot of time worrying
• Having difficulty thinking or remembering
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Having changes in appetite
• Relying more heavily on mood-altering substances, such as alcohol
• Avoiding family and friends
• Losing interest in daily activities
• Increasing physical distress symptoms such as headaches or stomach pains

What are the symptoms of distress intolerance?

This includes feelings such as irritation, agitation, frustration, disgust, jealousy, anger, rage and hatred.

Is distress tolerance the same as emotional regulation?

Distress tolerance is connected to emotional regulation but has a different focus. Good emotion regulation skills may reduce the intensity of painful feelings that are experienced in response to painful events, while poor emotion regulation skills may contribute to higher intensity of distress.