Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been gaining in popularity in recent times. Books such has the HAPPINESS TRAP by Dr Russ Harris have fueled its popularity. The book is a must read for anyone interested in this area. My approach to coaching and therapy is heavily influenced by ACT.
So what is it exactly? In a nutshell it suggests that people should connect in with their values and goals (refer to a previous article of mine on the subject) and ACT not A. C. T. To do something, do anything. Not to sit back and let life pass you by. And through acting, you get feedback and make minor adjustments along the way.
The second component of it, is the acceptance part. Accepting your thoughts and emotions. How often is it the case that when a scary thought or emotion pops into our head, we try to squash it or think about something else. ALL THE TIME ACTUALLY! ACT says it is ok to have these thoughts and emotions, it is what we do with them that matters. And what you should do with them is to do nothing. Thats right. To accept them or create space. To even laugh about them. Sounds simple but really isn't. When we fail to do this, we hit the struggle switch and this is usually where anxiety raises its ugly head.
So how do we learn to accept out thoughts and emotions? Practice. But it requires more that this. Meditation or relaxation exercises done daily definitely help. Then the trick is to live your life like its a walking meditation. Humor is also great as it allows us not to take life SO SERIOUSLY.
Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't think or analyse things. It is important to do this. But there is THINKING and then there is THINKING THINKING. The latter should be avoided against. THINKING is looking both ways before crossing the road. THINKING THINKING is laying in bed at 3am in the morning wondering if a certain person likes you etc.
Want to learn more? RIGPA is a great meditation center to go to. They are all around the world and The Happiness Trap is a great book to read by Dr Russ Harris. But at the end of the day it comes down to you and you can start living with this new philosophy today.
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