In our last +1, we chatted about my sunrise trail walk-workout and how I interrupted it to capture some ACT wisdom after walking through a spider web.
I’m typing this +1 from the steps of the deck for the tiny house we have on our property where Nama stays when she visits.
So…
As you may recall, we talked about Steven Hayes and wisdom from his GREAT book A Liberated Mind which features wisdom from his GREAT therapeutic philosophy called Acceptance and Behavior Therapy or ACT for short.
As we discussed, Steven tells us that we don’t want to get stuck in the process of trying to CHANGE our thoughts.
Research shows that when we do that, we tend to get “entangled” in those thought patterns.
Like the spider web.
He tells us that one of the limitations of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is that changing your cognition/thoughts just doesn’t work that well. In fact, he says, the most effective parts of CBT are the BEHAVIORAL changes they encourage.
So…
I repeat…
His approach with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is to ACCEPT your thoughts and the challenges of life and then COMMIT to living in integrity with your values.
Repeat.
Over and over and over again.
And…
In the process, you’ll create a life of deeper and deeper meaning and joy.
Now…
I promised to share one of the ways I’ve been practicing this.
Here it is.
When the voice in my head starts talking, I’m having fun simply NOTICING it (always the most important first step—so we don’t get caught up in it!) then simply LABELING whatever it is that I’m thinking about.
Maybe I’m “planning” or “comparing” or “criticizing” or any range of things that might take me out of the moment I’m in.
I notice the thought. Then I label the thought.
Then I repeat the label THREE times.
“Planning. Planning. Planning.”
“Comparing. Comparing. Comparing.”
“Criticizing. Criticizing. Criticizing.”
Steven tells us that when we take a super simple action like that, we “defuse” from the thoughts in our minds that tend to take us OUT OF the present moment.
By assuming that “observer” perspective, we avoid getting stuck in the (typically negative) thought loop and GET BACK INTO living fully in the present moment.
It’s a really powerful micro tool.
Check out our Notes in Steven’s Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life along with Russ Harris’s The Happiness Trap and The Confidence Gap for more practical ideas.
And…
For now…
Let’s remember that we want to ACCEPT whatever is going on in our lives (and our minds!) then COMMIT to doing what we know is best…
Let’s get OUT of our minds and INTO our lives.
TODAY.
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