Over the past months I have been exploring Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a therapeutic approach and here are some tools that you may like to implement in your everyday life. One is the idea of the ‘struggle switch.’ When we encounter a feeling such as anxiety, anger or sadness, our first instinct can be to push it away, try to distract ourselves from it or deny it. In this case, the struggle switch is ON. But when it is ‘off’, it means that we accept that we are experiencing an unpleasant feeling, and don’t fight against it. This prevents the amplification of negative emotions – and then we can go about focusing on positive and mindful approaches, whilst acknowledging the presence of that negative feeling. Take a look at this brief cute animation by Dr Russ Harris that explains it fully!
Another key component of ACT is a very pleasant one – the idea that simply, we need to make space for fun, positive experiences, no matter what else is going on in our lives! And with the easing of restrictions we have more options than previously for enjoyable outings. So this week, even if you’re having a stressful time in other ways, why not commit to planning one joyous, stress-free leisure activity?
This is just a taste of the ACT approach, so if you’d like to read a bit more about it do check out this site here. There’s lots of tools to learn from!
By Flic
