The TIPP Skill

⠀
Tolerating times where you feel completely overwhelmed by your emotions can be tough! ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
When we feel a strong wave of emotion coming over us such as fear or anger, our ability to think clearly is diminished and we often make unwise decisions or do things we might regret later.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
The following techniques are designed to help us get through the “heat of the moment” so we can start to think more clearly about the situation. Often, if we can just tolerate the first few seconds or minutes of our distress then we’ll find ourselves in a much better position to make decisions about how to handle the situation.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
The TIPP technique is designed to get us through those first few moments of discomfort:⁠⠀
⁠⠀
T- Temperature: try changing your body temperature to alter your reaction. Cooling yourself down by splashing your face with cold water, going outside in the cold or having a cold shower will decrease your heart rate (which is usually pretty high when we’re overwhelmed.) Raising your body temperature by having a warm bath or holding a hot water bottle increases your blood pressure and can be comforting when you’re feeling sad. ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
I- Intense exercise: Feeling intense emotions leads to a huge build up of energy. Try releasing this by going for a run, doing star jumps or skipping with a skipping rope.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
P- Paced Breathing: slow, controlled breathing where your inhale is longer than your exhale will decrease your heart rate and send a message to your brain that you are safe. Try breathing in through your nose for 4 seconds and breathing out through your mouth for 6 seconds for a couple of minutes. ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
P- Progressive muscle relaxation – Our muscles tense up when we’re feeling intense emotion. Work through your body becoming aware of each muscle from the top of your head to your toes and deliberately tighten then relax each one. ⁠