Distress Tolerance Class Published May 19, 2015 By Senior Airman Sean D. Smith Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- This year's wingman week will offer a diverse lineup that includes a community dog walk, sports day and a safety fair, but it will also include classes and events aimed at fostering Airmen wellness and personal development. The Distress Tolerance Class is a participant-involvement class focused on discussion of concepts to help cope with adversity. "Everyone goes through distress," said 1st Lt. Paul Cotton, 5th Medical Group Suicide Prevention Program manager. "What matters is the ability to get through it. We're talking about distressing events that we can't change, like losing a family member. Those are circumstances that you've got to face. It's hard, but you want to be able to get through it in the way that's most effective and efficient." The class will share skills and techniques that Airmen can use to manage distress effectively. "One of those skills is what we call radical acceptance," Cotton said. "This is where a person totally accepts the situation they are in. Acceptance isn't liking or agreeing with a situation, it's acknowledgement. We want to help people get to that level of understanding." Rather than telling people how to cope with their circumstances, the class guides Airmen to make the decision about how they should proceed. "You have to want to do something," Cotton said. "You have to want to change. You have to want to try. Telling you what to do isn't going to work. So we're going to offer some different ways, and you make the call." Techniques for stress management are sometimes intended to challenge people, leveraging personal drive to strengthen resolve. "Another technique is opposite to emotion action - in other words I don't feel like doing something, but I'm going to do it anyway because it's what needs to be done," Cotton said. "If I'm depressed, I may not feel like getting out of bed, but staying in bed isn't the most effective way to combat that mood. I have to get out of bed to challenge that feeling." The class offers guidance that can be applied not only to common problems that can occur for Airmen, but also adversity in life in a broad sense. "There are people dealing with job dissatisfaction and people who struggle with the cold during the winter months," Cotton said. "But in essence, what we're doing is trying to help them take a proactive approach to getting in front of these problems." Classes will be held at the professional development center May 18-20. For details check out the What's Up @ Minot Calendar at www.minot.af.mil.