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Overview of Crisis Survival Skills
Crisis Survival Skills are designed to help you navigate intense emotions and challenging situations without making impulsive decisions. These skills include: STOP, TIPP, and ACCEPTS.
Key Crisis Survival Skills
STOP
Pause and avoid reacting impulsively to intense emotions. STOP stands for:
- S: Stop—Pause immediately.
- T: Take a step back—Remove yourself from the situation.
- O: Observe—Notice your thoughts and feelings.
- P: Proceed mindfully—Choose your next step wisely.
TIPP
Use physical techniques to regulate your body's emotional response. TIPP includes:
- T: Temperature—Cool down (e.g., splash cold water on your face).
- I: Intense exercise—Engage in vigorous activity.
- P: Paced breathing—Breathe in a slow and controlled way.
- P: Paired muscle relaxation—Tense and relax muscles in sequence.
ACCEPTS
Distract yourself from distress with ACCEPTS strategies:
- A: Activities—Engage in hobbies or tasks.
- C: Contributing—Help someone else.
- C: Comparisons—Reflect on how things could be worse.
- E: Emotions—Trigger a different emotion (e.g., watch a comedy).
- P: Pushing away—Mentally set aside distress temporarily.
- T: Thoughts—Focus on something else (e.g., a puzzle).
- S: Sensations—Use physical sensations like holding ice.
When to Use Crisis Survival Skills
These skills are most effective in situations where:
- You feel overwhelmed by emotions and need to regain control.
- The problem cannot be solved immediately.
- You want to avoid making impulsive or harmful decisions.
Practicing these skills regularly can help you use them more effectively during challenging moments.