4 Science-Backed Techniques for Stress and Anxiety Relief

Racing heart. Sweaty Palms. Fast breathing. Tense muscles. These physical sensations are a natural part of your stress response.

These body reactions can be helpful during times of stress, anxiety, and other emotions, motivating you to take action or solve problems. But they can also be very uncomfortable or overwhelming. For some people, they may lead to urges to use drugs, binge eat, or otherwise act in ways that cause them problems. Even if you don’t struggle with self-destructive behaviors, stress can just feel bad.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) offers dozens of concrete skills that can help people cope with overwhelming emotions and reduce stress. Four of these are called “the TIPP skills.”¹ They are specifically designed to deactivate your body’s sympathetic nervous system (which is in charge of your stress response) and activate your parasympathetic nervous system (which is in charge of your relaxation response). They can be a useful first step in any Cope Ahead plan, to help you feel more grounded before asserting your needs, solving problems, or approaching difficult life situations.

Below, I briefly review each of the TIPP skills:

T: Temperature

The temperature skill uses the mammalian dive reflex. This reflex triggers when you’re underwater, slowing your heart rate to conserve oxygen. When you’re stressed and your heart is pounding, this skill helps calm your emotional stress by calming your heartbeat. The temperature skill can be particularly powerful for people who struggle with panic attacks or other types of emotional overwhelm.

To practice this skill, fill a bowl or sink with cool water. Place your face in the water, covering your eyes and nose, for as long as you can—holding your breath for about 25 seconds seems to help most people feel the biggest effects.² Repeat as many times as you’d like. One warning: Please consult with your medical doctor before using this skill. It works so well that folks with cardiac problems often should not use it.

I: Intense Exercise

Whenever you exercise, your stress response is activated to support your movement. When you stop, your body then activates your relaxation response to support your recovery. Anxiety, anger, and other emotions may make you feel agitated. The intense exercise skill allows you to use that energy.

To practice, exercise in any way that you like—try dancing, running, punching, jumping jacks, yoga, wall sits, or anything that gets your heart rate up. Research suggests that even seven minutes of exercise can have a positive impact on mood.³ While intense exercise may be most helpful when you’re feeling particularly agitated, even moderate exercise like walking can improve mood.⁴ Respect your limits and preferences. Just make sure that you rest after you exercise.

P: Paced Breathing

The common advice to “take deep breaths” to calm down is backed up by research, Slow, deep breathing can reduce stress through changes in the nervous system.⁵ Research also shows, however, that there are specific ways of breathing that can be more calming and soothing, compared to others. DBT’s paced breathing uses these specific techniques.

To practice, you want to keep three main things in mind. First, practice diaphragmatic breathing, taking breaths that fill your entire abdomen. It should feel like your breath is moving down into your stomach and lower rib cage, rather than mostly moving your shoulders up and down. Second, breathe slow and steady, with your exhale longer than your inhale. Research is a bit inconsistent about what exact ratio of breathing is best for stress reduction. But it does seem like many people benefit from taking six breaths a minute, with their inhale being three to four seconds and exhale being six to seven seconds long.^6,7,8 Third, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. While this style of breathing may not impact your nervous system directly, it helps some people feel calmer and more in control than other types of deep breathing exercises.⁸

P: Paired Muscle Relaxation

During stress, muscles usually tense. During calm, muscles usually relax. By purposefully relaxing your muscles, you can use the mind-body connection to help you enter a calmer, more grounded state. The paired muscle relaxation skill asks you to tense your muscles on purpose first, to make relaxing them easier.

Stress Essential Reads

When the Brain Becomes a Part of the Problem

3 Ways Job Stress Harms Your Relationship

To practice, you’ll want to go through all of the muscle groups in your body. (One possible order I suggest in my DBT card deck: toes, calves, thighs, butt, pelvic area and stomach, hands and forearms, upper arms, shoulders, neck, tongue and jaw, face, and then ending with your entire body.) For each muscle group, take a deep breath as you purposefully tense those muscles for a few seconds; then, exhale and say “relax” to yourself in your head as you purposefully relax those same muscles. Pay extra close attention to how your muscles feel when they’re relaxed, taking a few breaths between muscle groups.

Some Final Tips

It may take some time to figure out which of the TIPP skills work best for you, or when and how you prefer to practice them. Practicing the skills outside of times you’re stressed and preparing for stress ahead of time will make it more likely you’ll use them (and know how to use them) during times of stress. For more details and guided practices of the skills, watch the videos on this YouTube playlist. If none of these skills work for you, that’s OK. DBT teaches many other coping skills that may help. Other therapies offer many other ideas, too.

The Psychology Today therapist directory can help you find and connect with a therapist who can support you.