Annoyed, impatient, frustrated? Try this.

Crisis Survival Skills do nothing to solve the problem that caused the emotional crisis.

Don’t be discouraged because that is not what these skills are designed to do. Crisis Survival Skills such as Distracting or Self-Soothing help us to calm down and return to base line.

We get through the moment without making it worse.

A problem can be made worse by engaging in self-harm, lashing out in anger, or making impulsive decisions. Crisis Survival Skills offer a tool to turn away from unhealthy or unskillful behavior.

Using a distraction skill such as physical exercise, playing a game, or listening to music is an effective way to bring ourselves back to Wise Mind. Once back in Wise Mind, we can proceed mindfully with an effective course of action to address the problem.

Using a Crisis Survival Skill is not the same thing as avoiding the problem. Crisis Survival Skills are short-term. While it is a temporary avoidance of the problem, the problem is addressed upon returning to Wise Mind.