TIP Skills: Changing Your Body Chemistry
To reduce extreme emotion fast
1. Tip the Temperature of your face with cold water*
(to calm down fast)
• Holding your breath, put your face in a bowl of cold water,
or hold a cold pack (or zip-lock bag of cold water) on your eyes and cheeks.
• Hold for 30 seconds. Keep water above 10°C.
2. Intense exercise
(to calm down your body when it is revved up by emotion)
• Engage in intense exercise, if only for a short while.
• Expend your body’s stored up physical energy by running, walking fast, jumping,
playing basketball, lifting weights, etc.
3. Paced breathing
(pace your breathing by slowing it down)
• Breathe deeply into your belly.
• Slow your pace of inhaling and exhaling way down (on average, five to six breaths
per minute).
• Breathe out more slowly than you breathe in (for example, 5 seconds in and 7
seconds out).
4. Paired muscle relaxation
(to calm down by pairing muscle relaxation with breathing out)
• While breathing into your belly deeply tense your body muscles (not so much as
to cause a cramp).
• Notice the tension in your body.
• While breathing out, say the word “Relax” in your mind.
• Let go of the tension.
• Notice the difference in your body.