Distress Tolerance & Crisis Survival Without Self-Sabotage

When emotions surge, the brain craves fast relief—hit send, spend money, use substances, self-harm, or disappear. These reactions can feel good for minutes but often lead to pain that lasts for weeks. This four-week program teaches practical crisis survival skills designed to work in the heat of the moment while protecting your future. It’s not therapy—it’s psychoeducation with safety built into every step. Each week introduces tools tailored for ADHD and trauma-sensitive brains: concrete triggers, tiny actions, timers, and shame-proof language. You’ll learn how to press a mental pause button using STOP, calm your body quickly with TIP (Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, Paired muscle relaxation), and find safe comfort and distraction through Self-Soothe, ACCEPTS, and IMPROVE. You’ll also practice riding out urges and choosing values-based actions using Pros & Cons, Willingness, If/Then planning, and a personalized Go-Bag. By the end of the program, you’ll be able to pause a crisis in under 60 seconds, reset your body safely, self-soothe with the five senses without sabotaging your goals, and use ACCEPTS/IMPROVE to get through tough hours. You’ll know how to run Pros & Cons to choose values over impulses, and build an If/Then plan and Distress Go-Bag to stay grounded when it matters most.