Have you ever felt like your emotions were so intense, so overwhelming, that you were about to explode—or completely shut down? Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, or other mental health disorders, emotional dysregulation can make everyday situations feel impossible to navigate.
At Innerspace Counseling, we work closely with children, adolescents, and adults to develop effective coping skills for managing intense emotions. One powerful strategy we teach in our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is the TIPP skill, a core technique from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). This blog will walk you through what TIPP is, when and how to use it, and how programs like IOP and PHP can offer lasting help for emotional regulation and beyond.
What Are TIPP Skills?
TIPP stands for:
Temperature
Intense Exercise
Paced Breathing
Paired Muscle Relaxation
These four tools are designed to quickly bring your body’s arousal level down when your emotions are running high. TIPP skills target your physiological state, helping you calm your mind by first calming your body. They’re especially useful in crisis moments when your brain feels hijacked by fear, anger, sadness, or panic.
TIPP skills are not a long-term fix—they're a crisis survival toolkit. Once you’re back in control, you can move on to more reflective problem-solving or processing in therapy.
When to Use TIPP Skills
TIPP skills are perfect for crisis situations—moments when you feel emotionally out of control and unable to function. These skills can be used by anyone experiencing intense emotions, including children, adolescents, and adults struggling with mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts.
Here are some example situations:
A teen overwhelmed by social anxiety before giving a school presentation
An adult feeling rage after an argument with a partner
A child melting down after being told “no” and feeling rejected
Someone experiencing a panic attack and struggling to breathe
A person with suicidal thoughts needing to ground themselves and stay safe
In each of these cases, TIPP offers fast, body-based techniques to calm the nervous system and prevent impulsive or harmful behaviors.
A Breakdown of Each TIPP Skill
Let’s explore each part of the TIPP acronym and how to use it effectively.
🧊 T - Temperature: Cool Your Body Down
When emotions surge, your body heats up. Cooling it down can help reduce emotional intensity.
How to use it:
Splash your face with cold water.
Hold an ice pack on your face or neck.
Dunk your face in a bowl of cold water while holding your breath (mimics the “diving reflex” to slow heart rate).
This can be especially useful for individuals in DBT struggling with emotional reactivity, such as those with borderline personality disorder or trauma-related symptoms.
🏃♀️ I - Intense Exercise: Move the Energy Out
Strong emotions activate the fight-or-flight system. Intense physical activity can burn off the energy and restore balance.
How to use it:
Do jumping jacks or run in place for 2–5 minutes.
Take a brisk walk or run.
Do push-ups, squats, or dance around the room.
Children and adolescents in our IOP often use this skill when overwhelmed in school or at home. It gives them a safe, healthy outlet for intense feelings.
🌬️ P - Paced Breathing: Slow Your Breath, Calm Your Mind
Paced breathing helps reset your nervous system by activating the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) response.
How to use it:
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
Hold for 1–2 seconds.
Exhale slowly through your mouth for 6–8 seconds.
Repeat for a few minutes.
This skill is particularly helpful for anxiety and panic attacks, as it directly counteracts the rapid breathing and heart rate that come with fear.
💪 P - Paired Muscle Relaxation: Let Go of Tension
Paired muscle relaxation is about tensing and relaxing different muscle groups in your body to release built-up stress.
How to use it:
Start with your fists: Clench tightly for 5 seconds, then release.
Move through your arms, shoulders, legs, and face.
As you release each muscle group, say to yourself: “Relax.”
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) also uses this technique as a way to reduce physical symptoms of stress and anxiety.
How Innerspace Counseling Uses TIPP and DBT
At Innerspace Counseling, TIPP skills are an essential part of our Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) curriculum, which is integrated into both our IOP and PHP programs. DBT emphasizes balancing acceptance and change, teaching clients how to regulate emotions, tolerate distress, and improve interpersonal relationships.
Our licensed therapists and psychiatrists use DBT-based groups and one-on-one therapy sessions to teach skills like TIPP. Clients also learn how to integrate these strategies into their treatment plan and daily life.
We know that emotional regulation doesn’t happen overnight. That’s why we support each client with a comprehensive treatment plan, regular evaluations, and a collaborative approach to care involving therapists, psychiatrists, and often friends or family.
IOP and PHP: More Than Just Skills
TIPP is powerful, but it's only one part of the healing journey. Innerspace Counseling offers full-spectrum support through our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP).
What is IOP?
Our IOP offers a flexible, structured level of care for individuals who need more than once-weekly therapy. Clients attend group therapy multiple times per week, meet with a psychiatrist, and work on specific coping skills like TIPP and other DBT strategies. This is ideal for people stepping down from inpatient care or needing more support than traditional therapy.
What is PHP?
PHP provides a higher level of support than IOP, typically running 5 days a week for several hours per day. Clients receive intensive therapy, psychiatric care, and skill-building in a supportive, structured environment. It’s often used to stabilize individuals in acute distress who don’t require 24-hour hospitalization.
Whether you're an adolescent dealing with emotional overwhelm at school or an adult facing persistent mental health problems, PHP offers the structure needed for real change.
TIPP in Action: A Real-Life Example
Case Scenario: Emily, Age 16
Emily is a high school student enrolled in our adolescent PHP. She struggles with anxiety, depression, and frequent suicidal thoughts, often triggered by academic pressure and social rejection. During one group session, she shares that she felt like self-harming after receiving a low grade.
Instead of acting on her urges, Emily used her TIPP skills:
She splashed cold water on her face (Temperature).
She did jumping jacks in her room (Intense Exercise).
She slowed her breathing with a guided app (Paced Breathing).
She practiced muscle relaxation while lying on her bed (Paired Muscle Relaxation).
After using these tools, Emily reported feeling 60% calmer and was able to write in her journal and reach out to a peer mentor—two other healthy coping strategies she learned at Innerspace Counseling.
Contact Innerspace Counseling Today
If you or someone you care about is struggling with emotional regulation, Innerspace Counseling is here to help. Whether you’re facing anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, or other mental health disorders, we offer compassionate and effective care tailored to your needs.
📞 Call us today at (732) 332-8270
🌐 Visit us at www.innerspacecounseling.com
📍 Located in Old Bridge, NJ
Our expert team of therapists and psychiatrists can help you build a treatment plan that includes evidence-based strategies like DBT, CBT, and TIPP skills, and create lasting change in your life.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to be at the mercy of overwhelming emotions. With the right tools, support, and structure, you can learn to manage even the most intense feelings. The TIPP skills are just the beginning—when paired with comprehensive treatment options like IOP and PHP at Innerspace Counseling, they become part of a transformative approach to healing.
Reach out today, and let us help you (or your loved one) take that first step toward emotional stability, better mental health, and a more peaceful life.