The Paradox of Acceptance and Change in Dealing with Anxiety

Are you on the side of accepting and embracing who you are now or do you crave more change? Do you think that change is always a good thing? Join me for a discussion on acceptance and change to see which side you land on. I hope to give you a new perspective to help you live your best life!

I’ve made a lot of content about acceptance and about how being willing to feel your emotions can be really helpful. But if you’ve watched a lot of my videos you also know that I make a ton of videos about growth and hope and change and lowering anxiety.

So it’s fair that I often get asked how do I reconcile this idea of acceptance with change, for example this question from a student: “I'm a bit confused about how doing exercises to regulate the nervous system fits in with the previous section where we were encouraged to be willing to 'feel' emotions. These exercises sort of feel like an attempt to get rid of negative emotions.”

This is a great question and I think it’s a really important question to carefully consider. I think it is really easy to get mixed up when it comes to figuring out how to manage emotions. Because it does seem like such a paradox: in order to resolve emotions you have to be willing to accept that they may not resolve. In order to change how you feel, you need to stop trying to change how you feel. I can see how this is confusing. I’m going to do my best to clear it up. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, aka ACT, really walks that fine line of balancing acceptance and change.

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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC