How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Helps with Anxiety
When anxiety is front and center it’s much harder to read your environment
Anxiety: is a complex and often debilitating mental health condition that can greatly impact a person's overall well-being and quality of life. Anxiety looks and feels different for different people. Some people might feel a consistent low level of anxiety, while others experience more heightened forms.
As your anxiety level increases, you may notice some of these physiological symptoms: a racing heart beat, nausea, perspiration, or light headedness. Heightened anxiety can lead to panic attacks: hyperventilation, muscle weakness, and fainting. Leaving you frightened and disoriented.
Fortunately, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), an evidence-based therapeutic approach, can effectively help alleviate anxiety symptoms and reduce the fear and avoidant behaviors that often accompanies such symptoms.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can help reduce anxieties impact.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: is a form of psychotherapy that encourages individuals to accept their anxious thoughts and feelings rather than trying to suppress or control them. By acknowledging the presence of anxiety without judgment, individuals can develop the skills necessary to manage its impact on their lives.
Focused attention of mindfulness can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety by facilitating a sense of self-compassion, self efficacy, and equanimity.
Mindfulness: is one of the fundamental principles of ACT. Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment in a nonjudgmental and accepting way. Incorporating mindfulness into the treatment of anxiety allows individuals to observe their anxious thoughts and bodily sensations without becoming overwhelmed or overly identified with them. This mindful awareness fosters a sense of relief, psychological distance, and detachment from anxiety. Helping individuals gain perspective and reduce the grip of anxiety on their lives.
By practicing mindfulness, individuals cultivate an increased awareness of their anxious thoughts and physical sensations. This awareness helps them recognize patterns and triggers that contribute to their anxiety. With this knowledge, they can then respond with greater effectiveness and make intentional choices in their daily lives.
Acceptance: that anxiety is a part of the human experience. Acceptance and commitment therapy can help individuals manage their expectations. For example: Humans are hard wired to have a negativity bias. It serves a protective purpose. While we don’t have to dwell there, we want to tune in enough to our anxiety to pick up on, assess, and make use of the information it provides.
Commitment: to value-based action is another crucial aspect of ACT. ACT emphasizes the importance of taking actions that align with one's core values, even in the presence of anxiety. By clarifying what truly matters and setting meaningful goals, individuals can work towards achieving a fulfilling life despite the presence of anxiety.
Through the fusion of mindfulness and values-based action, ACT equips individuals with practical tools to reduce anxiety's impact on their lives. By learning to observe and accept anxious thoughts and feelings, individuals can prevent anxiety from dictating their actions and decisions. Instead, they become empowered to live purposefully, taking steps towards what truly matters to them.
* It is essential to note that ACT and mindfulness do not aim to eliminate anxiety completely. Instead, they foster a resilient mindset and offer skills to manage anxiety and reduce its interference in daily functioning. By developing acceptance, mindfulness, and values-driven actions, individuals gain the mental flexibility necessary to navigate anxiety more effectively.
If you live in Washington State and wonder if commitment and acceptance therapy can help, reach out to schedule an free 15 min virtual consultation appointment.
