Coping with PTSD: What Works for You?

I practice an acronym I've learned from my dialectical behavioral therapist. The acronym is TIPP: T - Temperature: wash your face or hands in cold, cold water, or apply an ice pack to your forehead or the back of your neck I - Intense Exercise: really, a few minutes of any sort of intense activity that gets your heart rate up (running in place, jogging up and down stairs, taking a fast walk around the block) P - Paced Breathing: there are all types of variations, like box breathing (inhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts, exhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts) or 4-7-8 (inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8) P - Paired Muscle Relaxation: deep inhale and tense/contract/activate all the muscles in your body, then slow exhale and relax all the muscles while saying aloud or silently to yourself, "Relax"

Temperature. The easiest and most basic thing I look for is something cold. Outside. Ice. A cold drink. Whatever the situation offers anything cold. The colder the better.