Immediate coping support, whenever you need it.
Whatever is causing your distress, you don't have to face it alone. If things feel urgent, crisis support is available right now, free and confidential. Below, you'll also find DBT-based coping skills matched to your distress level.
Most-read guides
Popular, plain-English, always up to date
Start here
Crisis resources and coping skills
Start here if you need immediate support, then explore DBT-based coping tools.
Crisis Resources — Start Here
Immediate, free, confidential support.
DBT Skills for Distress
TIPP, ACCEPTS, and self-soothe techniques.
Grounding Techniques
Coming back to the present moment.
Emotional Regulation
Longer-term strategies for managing intense emotions.
PTSD & Distress
Understanding trauma-related distress.
Finding a Therapist
Ongoing support beyond the immediate moment.
Free interactive tool
Distress Coping Plan Builder
Tell us a bit about what you're experiencing right now to get coping skills matched to your distress level. If you are in crisis, please contact 988 or Crisis Text Line immediately — don't wait for this tool.
Your coping plan
Answer the questions and tap Get my coping plan for skills matched to your situation.
Distress.id AI
Ask the AI Advisor
Ask about specific DBT coping skills, grounding techniques, or how to manage distress right now. If you're in crisis, please contact 988 immediately.
Educational guidance, not professional advice.
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The essentials
You don't have to face distress alone — help is always available
Emotional distress, whatever its source, can feel isolating — but effective coping skills and crisis support are both more accessible than many people realize.
Crisis resources come first
If distress ever escalates to thoughts of self-harm or feels unbearable, 988 (call or text) and the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) are free, confidential, and available around the clock.
DBT skills offer structured, in-the-moment tools
TIPP, ACCEPTS, and self-soothe skills, developed within dialectical behavior therapy, offer concrete techniques matched to different intensities of distress.
Ongoing support matters too
While immediate coping skills help in the moment, working with a therapist can address root causes and build longer-term emotional regulation capacity.
BetterHelp
Ongoing therapy support for ongoing emotional distress.
This content offers general coping skills and educational information, not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional crisis support or therapy. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or are in immediate danger, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line), or call 911 right now.
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Resources to support coping and emotional regulation
Books and tools that support coping skills and emotional regulation. Buttons link to Amazon; as an associate we may earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Free instant download
The Distress Coping Skills Guide
A free PDF covering crisis resources, DBT distress tolerance skills, grounding techniques, and finding ongoing support.
- Crisis resources — start here
- DBT distress tolerance skills (TIPP, ACCEPTS, self-soothe)
- Grounding techniques guide
- PTSD and emotional distress
- Finding a therapist for ongoing support