Panic List for Distress Tolerance @ DBT self help

"These suggestions are meant as alternates to Self-Injury in times of dire crisis and overwhelming urges. They are what I call “Intermediate coping strategies,” designed to help you move into a less emotionally volatile state. They are NOT DBT skills!

The source of this material is from many people with BPD sharing what has worked for them. This is a compilation of their answers.

These suggestions for dealing with panic are not a replacement for the Distress Tolerance skills. They are about being effective in the moment - which means doing what it takes to be safe. Believe it or not, even the ones that sound stupid usually help a little, and the best skill of all is to wait 15 min, and then ask yourself if you can wait 15 more, and so on. If 15 min is a long time for you, try 5. The point is, self-injury urges usually hit and you want to do it "right now". If you can wait, then maybe you don't have to do it at all. Emotions come to us in waves. The longer you wait, the more likely the urgent need will dissipate. As you go along in life without self-injuring, one day you will think about doing it and a little voice says, "Ouch! That would hurt! That's not going to make me feel better." Self-injury can be addictive but over time, with practice, you'll find other ways to tolerate distress and it will become more manageable."

See suggestions @ DBT self help