314 •  DiSTreSS Tolerance Skill S
••Distress Tolerance Handout 4: The STOP Skill. The STOP skill can keep you 
from acting impulsively on your emotions in ways that make a difficult situation 
worse. The term STOP is a way to remember how to do the skill: Stop, Take a step 
back, Observe, and P roceed mindfully. Two different worksheets can be used to 
track practice of the STOP skill— Distress Tolerance Worksheets 2 and 2a: Practic -
ing the STOP Skill. Worksheet 2 provides space for two practices during the week. Worksheet 2a gives space for tracking daily practice.
••Distress Tolerance Handout 5: Pros and Cons. Listing pros and cons allows 
you to compare the advantages and disadvantages of different options. This par -
ticular handout asks you to compare the pros and cons of acting on your emotional urges in a crisis situation and of resisting those urges. Figure out and write down 
your pros and cons when you are not in a crisis; then, when a crisis hits, pull out 
your pros and cons and review them. You can also use Distress Tolerance Work -
sheets 3  and 3a: Pros and Cons of Acting on Crisis Urges. Both worksheets ask for 
the same information, but they are set up differently. Some people find one format much easier to work with than the other, and vice versa. Whichever one you use, remember to fill out all four quadrants.
••Distress Tolerance Handout 6: TIP Skills: Changing Your Body Chemistry. 
Very high emotion can make it impossible to use most skills. The TIP skills are designed as a quick way to reduce high emotional arousal. The TIP skills are T em-