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Thoughts & feelings

Crisis survival kit

Build a personal kit of distress-tolerance skills for the moments when you just need to get through without making things worse.

About 15 minutes · 8 questionsDBT
Fill it in online — freeThe print dialog can also save it as a PDF.

Thoughts & feelings~15 minDBT

Crisis survival kit

Build a personal kit of distress-tolerance skills for the moments when you just need to get through without making things worse.

Why this helps

DBT's distress tolerance skills (Linehan) are for crises you can't solve right now — the goal is to get through without making things worse. Calming your body, distracting your mind and soothing your senses lower the intensity enough for you to think again.

If you're thinking about suicide or are in danger, call or text 988 now, or call 911.

  1. STOP: Stop. Take a step back. Observe what's happening inside and around you. Proceed mindfully.
  2. Calm your body: breathe out longer than you breathe in, tense and release your muscles, or take a brisk walk.
  3. Distract: an activity, helping someone, a funny show, a puzzle, a change of scene.
  4. Self-soothe through your five senses: something to see, hear, smell, taste and touch.
  5. Weigh it: the pros and cons of acting on the urge versus riding it out.

1. How I know I'm heading into crisis mode (body, thoughts, urges)

2. Body-calming skills I'll use

Check any that apply

  • Slow breathing — out longer than in
  • Tense and release my muscles, one area at a time
  • A brisk walk or a few minutes of movement
  • A warm shower or bath
  • Wrap up in a blanket or hold a pet
  • Step outside and name what I see

3. Distractions that work for me

Check any that apply

  • Music
  • A show or game (with a time limit)
  • Cleaning or organizing
  • Puzzles, crosswords or drawing
  • Helping someone else
  • Calling a friend about anything else
  • Going somewhere with people around
  • Prayer or a meeting

4. One self-soothing idea for each sense: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch

5. Pros and cons: acting on the urge vs. riding it out

6. Where I'll keep a physical kit, and what's in it

A box by my bed: playlist, lavender lotion, photo of my kids, gum, a list of numbers.

7. People I'll contact when I need to

8. A sentence to read in the moment

"This feeling is temporary. I don't have to act on it."

From the Workbook on Amity Connect, via RecoveryHome.comFor reflection and practice — not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. In crisis, call or text 988.amityconnect.com/app/workbook/crisis-survival-kit
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This worksheet, online and private, on Amity Connect — free for individuals, built by the same team. Your answers stay yours; if you're with a recovery home that uses it, they can assign it to you and see only what you choose to share.
Open it on Amity Connect
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About this worksheet
It comes from the Amity Connect workbook, built by the same team as RecoveryHome, and is free to print and share. It's for reflection and practice — not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for professional care. Content is never written or edited by advertisers. If you're in crisis, call or text 988.

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