Distress tolerance refers to the perceived and/or actual ability to withstand the experience of internal states perceived as aversive, including emotions (e.g., anger, anxiety, shame) or physical states (e.g., pain, increased heart rate, breathlessness). On the opposite end of the spectrum is distress intolerance. Distress intolerance has been implicated in the development and maintenance of a wide range of mental health disorders and maladaptive behaviors. Given this, several psychological treatments have been developed that include skills specifically focused on improving distress tolerance. As distress tolerance represents a particular way of responding to emotional experiences and can affect the pursuit of goal-directed behavior, this construct may be considered a form of emotion regulation.