One may imagine that having a very high distress tolerance is a great thing. However, some level of discomfort with distress can motivate us to solve our problems.
Having said that, low distress tolerance is a more common concern and can be very uncomfortable.
The test below can help estimate your distress tolerance level and is provided for educational purposes only. If you think you aren’t good at dealing with life’s challenges, consider seeking professional advice. Check all that apply.
When something is bothering me, I have to solve it immediately.
When I am upset, I can only think about the upsetting issue.
I am terrible at tolerating uncertainty; I feel like I need to know the answers.
I tend to overprepare to avoid any potential problems (e.g., travel, work, presentations, social activities).
I don’t know how other people can function despite having unresolved issues; I would love to be able to do that too.
Being distressed makes me feel like I am about to lose control.
I know that my emotions during some distressing situations are clearly exaggerated, but I can’t do anything about it.
Whenever I feel an unpleasant emotion, I try to suppress it or distract myself from it.
I do my best to avoid feeling any negative emotions by avoiding any situation, person, place, or activity that could bring on distress.
I feel so embarrassed about my reactions, but I can’t do anything about them.
I think other people manage their negative emotions much better than I do.
When distressed, I automatically look for ways to relieve the feeling, even if they are counterproductive. For example, I might call people who don’t want to talk to me, try to force someone to discuss things with me before they are ready, or fake being sick to skip work or school.
I go out of my way to prevent feeling any distress whenever possible.
One of my biggest fears is that the feeling of distress will never go away.
The more statements you checked, the more difficulty you may have tolerating emotional distress. There is no specific number of checked items that can diagnose a problem.
Generally, distress tolerance can be thought of as ranging from low to high.
Low distress tolerance
People with low distress tolerance may experience negative emotions very intensely and have difficulty allowing uncomfortable feelings to pass. There could be many different reasons for that, including past experiences, learned coping habits, and individual differences.
Unfortunately, low distress tolerance may lead to unproductive or harmful behaviors, such as escapism, substance abuse, disordered eating, excessive sleep, self-harm, and other behaviors. These behaviors can cause additional problems, and in some cases, attempts to escape distress immediately may make it harder to learn that uncomfortable emotions can eventually pass.
An experienced mental health professional can help you learn to manage your emotions and cope with distress and uncertainty.
CBT Probability Estimates Calculator: Stop Catastrophizing with This Interactive Tool
Average distress tolerance
Most people don’t enjoy being distressed, but people with an average distress tolerance can usually continue functioning while unpleasant feelings are present. They understand that negative emotions are part of life and that distress often becomes easier to manage with time.
High distress tolerance
Negative emotions can sometimes be useful. For example, they may motivate us to remove ourselves from a dangerous situation, defend ourselves, solve a problem, or set boundaries when we are being mistreated.
At the same time, being able to tolerate distress does not mean that you should tolerate harmful situations or mistreatment. Healthy distress tolerance involves being able to experience uncomfortable emotions without automatically escaping them while still taking action when a situation genuinely needs to change.
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