17/04/2025
This is a really insightful blog.
"Distress tolerance isn’t something we’re born with or without. It’s something we grow — over time, and often through relationship.
Some of the most effective practices aren’t dramatic or complicated. They’re subtle, consistent, and grounded in safety. Distress tolerance grows through:
Mindful attention to bodily sensation, especially when it’s uncomfortable but tolerable
Relational safety — having someone stay with you when you’re upset, without fixing or judging
Pacing and choice — learning to stretch your capacity without overwhelming your system
Name-it-to-tame-it practices, like journaling, storytelling, or emotion labeling
Intentional exposure to discomfort, including heat and cold practices like saunas, cold plunges, and ice bathing
Physical challenges, such as sports and endurance training, which require staying with discomfort, delayed gratification, and cooperative regulation
Structured sensation monitoring, such as Vipassana or body scan–based meditative practices
Fasting or other safe forms of intentional deprivation, which strengthen impulse control and interoceptive awareness
Self-soothing strategies that work in real time: breath, touch, movement, sound
Rest, regulation, and community care — because tolerance doesn’t grow in isolation or burnout
These practices work because they gently teach the nervous system that discomfort isn’t always danger — and that you can feel hard things without losing yourself.
You don’t build distress tolerance by forcing people to toughen up.
You build it by helping people feel safe enough to stay present when things are hard — and discover that they can survive it."
Politics isn’t just about policies. It’s about people — and the nervous systems they bring into the room. Behind every hard conversation about race, gender, climate, economics, education, or public health, there’s a much quieter force shaping the outcome: our ability to tolerate discomfort. ...
