Modern Therapy May 15, 2019 Anxiety, Anger, Depression, Self Esteem, Stress What Is Distress Tolerance? Modern Therapy May 15, 2019 Anxiety, Anger, Depression, Self Esteem, Stress In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), distress tolerance skills are utilized when a situation is likely not going to change. It helps us to cope and survive in crisis by allowing us to tolerate the short or long term emotional pain.