Resources

• https://youtu.be/rb3rGFCYvEg?si=rGrGCpTUYhgXa5JS 

• https://youtu.be/0IKqYDMcE1o?si=qPjhqQzx45PROnp_  

• https://www.tiktok.com/@sketchycore/video/7473551933710535958?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc  

• P.S.: everyone has their own drawing style, so it’s okay if your art doesn’t turn out like the ones in the tutorial videos.

This coin jar is shaped like a baseball, it gave me an idea to save some money to go watch a Rockies Game for the first time this year. I will try my hardest to save up for a ticket and go on a Friday when they have weekend fireworks. Also I can write in my bills on the calendar so I can see how far I need to save for what bill or what activity I want to do by that date.

"Take-Aways"/ Learned from this:

I have to give myself time and space to actually save money. I can't think all the time in the present moment, I have to think about the future and what I need to be stable in the future, also how much items cost. The economy isn't really getting any better for the foreseeable future. Planning ahead of time what to do with money I get will save me some stress not to deal with.

There are four main strategies for increasing distress tolerance, as highlighted by the sheet displayed. For example, the self-soothing section of the sheet offers several activities that allow people to exercise their five senses and thus take attention away from any sources of stress. Then there's the "tip" sheet, which offers strategies for using extremes to manage the body's stress levels. For example, exposing the body to very cold water can help relieve physical tension. The other two main strategies, the stop skill and the body scan meditation, heavily emphasize pausing and making observation's about one's own body to manage emotions such as stress.

My main takeaway from all this is that it is important to exercise different parts of the brain when feeling stressed. During my mental health classes, I learned that the amygdala, the brain's "alarm system", causes stress hormones to be released when it perceives a threat or source of stress, thus causing us to feel overwhelmed. In doing so, the amygdala causes other parts of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex (which is responsible for logic and reasoning), to shrink. Activities that help us exercise the prefrontal cortex can help us neutralize the amygdala when it is active or even hyperactive, thus meaning that these activities can cause an effective stress response.

To learn more about distress tolerance, visit the following links!

Sunrise Residential Treatment Center guide: https://sunrisertc.com/distress-tolerance-skills/

DBT guide: https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/distress-tolerance/