After working for years with individuals feeling stuck by their symptoms of worry, overthinking, stress, low mood, and trouble connecting with others I’m sharing why Acceptance and Commitment Therapy was the right choice for them and could be the right choice for you too. By the end of this blog post you should have an idea of the outcomes that can come from putting in the hard work to address symptoms through ACT.
Our mind can do a wonderful job of noticing what isn’t going well, going to worst case scenarios, and dwelling in unhelpful places. We’re somewhat hardwired that way and tend to need to put in much more effort to pay attention to what is going well in our lives.
The deep work done within ACT therapy is building the skill to step back from what’s in our head and pull our attention to the present (mindfulness skills). Once in the present additional skills are built to put our focus and energy into what we have control over and taking action towards our personal goals and values (acceptance and diffusion skills). The concepts are logical and simple to understand within treatment but time and regular practice are vital to get to the place we want to be.
Can you picture how different your day would be if you were catching the details of what is going well, paying attention to what’s happening in the moment instead of worrying about what’s going to happen next or focusing on something that happened earlier in the day that is keeping you in a funk? Imagine putting your energy into the areas of your life that are the most important to you, perhaps family, health, or friendships.
By the end of treatment others have found themselves spending more time with friends and family, feeling less anxious when in social situations, actively putting time and energy into health, and at times even going back to school or making career changes. Putting into action these new skills to be in the present and focus on what they have control over is what made it possible to move forward with confidence towards their goals.
I’m hoping this post has helped you expand your understanding of ACT and I wish you the best moving forward!
If you’re interested in talking to me about getting started with online ACT therapy in Michigan feel free to click on the link below to connect to my contact page and schedule a free phone consultation.
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