# Step 2: Reduce Physiological Arousal

Anxiety comes with a whole host of physiological symptoms, including increased heart rate, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea or stomach distress, chills, hot flashes, blushing, dizziness, tingling, lightheadedness, or feeling numb. \[2] If you’ve ever experienced these symptoms of anxiety, you know that they can be pretty distressing and get in the way of us concentrating and actively engaging during code reviews.

<figure><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/X6S9gU3dCVLESYXK3G5BKdCqWDw0hpUTEc-CTlZD1bhkrhwXUQGeQonIwzEQNuIciTQAUyCMkYPZ4I57kRjYSFv3RxZkfeU5UkQdmi-dR7MRN1upPYGGp7bTj5bWjBiW9sjrWfcYFwa2MIx0ReM1XCI" alt="Triangle model with arrows between cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms."><figcaption><p>Figure 3. Cognitive-behavioral model highlighting the physiological symptoms of anxiety.</p></figcaption></figure>

The great news is that we can directly target our physiological symptoms (see Figure 3) using the TIPP skill. The TIPP skill is a mega skill taken from Dialectical Behavior Therapy \[5] that’s actually four skills in one. These skills work to “tip” your body chemistry to reduce extreme emotions quickly, and there’s a lot of empirical evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of these skills. TIPP is an acronym, where each letter represents the name of a skill:

* **T**emperature
* **I**ntense Exercise
* **P**aced Breathing
* **P**rogressive Muscle Relaxation

Before we dive into these skills, it’s also important to note that these skills aren’t magic – different skills resonate with different people and at different times. So try out each of them and experiment with what works for you and when!