Self-soothing is another great skill for stressful times. We can use our senses to reduce the intensity of negative emotions. We’ll start with sight. You can count the number of places you see a certain color in the room. You … Continue reading
Melissa’s Blog
At the end of IMPROVE is Encouragement
Today we have made it to the last letter of the IMPROVE acronym, E for encouragement. Encouragement is being a cheerleader for yourself. You remind yourself that you have faced tough challenges and hard times before, and you can do … Continue reading
The V in IMPROVE
The V in the IMPROVE acronym stands for vacation. When dealing with a stressful ongoing situation, taking a break is important. Most of us can’t afford to take a real vacation in the middle of a crisis. We can, however, … Continue reading
The O in IMPROVE
The next letter in our distress tolerance acronym IMPROVE is O, which stands for “One thing in the moment.” If you bring old emotional issues into a already distressing situation, you can make things worse. Focus on the present … Continue reading
R is for RELAXATION
The R in IMPROVE stands for Relaxation. Things that promote relaxation are important tools for navigating ongoing distressing situations. Whether it’s the square breathing we’ve posted previously here, or another relaxation promoting activity like walking or yoga, taking a nice … Continue reading
IMPROVE: Prayer
The third letter in the IMPROVE acronym stands for Prayer. Prayer can be talking to God or the Great Spirit or to the universe or your guardian angel. It can be opening yourself up, surrendering your problems, and accepting the … Continue reading