Tapping into our values can help navigate anxiety and motivate us to take action towards our goals.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasizes accepting distressing feelings and thoughts as part of life, allowing us to unhook from anxiety and act based on our values.
Deep dives
The Importance of Tapping into Values for Motivation
Tapping into our values is crucial for motivating ourselves and approaching challenging or overwhelming situations. Recognizing what is important to us and aligning our actions with our values can help us navigate anxiety and take action. By understanding why certain things matter to us, such as our job or a specific role, we can find the motivation to overcome obstacles and push ourselves to achieve our goals.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as an Approach
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasizes accepting distressing feelings and thoughts as part of life. It encourages acknowledging and being uncomfortable with these experiences without letting them control us. By accepting and not fighting against difficult emotions, we can unhook ourselves from anxiety and take action based on our values. This approach focuses on redirecting our thinking and behaviors, instead of trying to control or eliminate unpleasant thoughts or emotions.
The Concept of Fusion: Thoughts and Emotions
Fusion refers to being overly identified or fused with our thoughts or emotions. It prevents us from observing and having distance from these experiences. Instead of getting caught up and controlled by our thoughts and feelings, we can recognize them as temporary mental events or physical sensations. By creating some separation, we gain the ability to choose our actions and steer away from negative thought patterns. Rather than fighting or judging these experiences, we can thank them for trying to help us and move forward with kindness and compassion.
The Importance of Connecting to Values and Avoidance
Understanding our values is essential for combating avoidance and taking action. When we feel anxious or uncomfortable in certain situations, it often indicates that something we care about is at stake. By identifying and connecting to our values, both in our personal and professional lives, we can find the motivation to face challenges head-on. Avoiding discomfort may limit our growth and happiness, but embracing our values allows us to navigate difficult emotions and take steps towards achieving meaningful goals.
A lot of us still think of mental struggles as something to push through. Or we think we need to “cure” ourselves from anxiety and that will be that.
But licensed clinical psychologist and author Dr. Carissa Gustafson says there are real steps you can take to “unhook” us from anxiety. The first step for many people is accepting that distressing feelings and thoughts are part of life, which is part of the basis for acceptance and commitment therapy - or ACT. In this episode, we speak to Gustafson about some tactical approaches to accepting the discomfort, and then taking action.
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