Dealing with Worry Thoughts using the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Strategy.

If you frequently experience anxiety, it might be the first thing you notice when you wake up. It might be lingering throughout the day and accompanying you to bed with nighttime worries. Or perhaps anxiety only visits you occasionally. Whether it’s constant or occasional, if you struggle to break free from the grip of anxiety and return to living your life, there are ways to cope with difficult feelings better.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches ways to manage distressing thoughts and feelings better, guiding you back to your values and your life’s chosen path.

One way of responding to anxiety more effectively using ACT is by taking an observer’s perspective. Your brain responds with anxiety to prepare you to deal with a difficult situation and protect you from something you don’t want to happen. Even though anxiety feels distressing, you are not in real danger – you are dealing with difficult thoughts and feelings. When you are in the anxiety cycle, it may feel like unless you win the battle with anxiety and it is gone, nothing else is important. However, not only are you not succeeding at winning the battle, but you are likely getting even more anxious! Also, while you are trying to win the battle, your life is on hold.

What if you could learn to zoom out far enough to see the bigger picture? That would not take the anxiety away, but it would change how you view and respond to it. It will help you see that thoughts are thoughts and feelings are feelings. From this perspective, it is easier to choose which thoughts are helpful to listen to and which ones are better to let come and go without acting on them. It is also easier to choose what might be most helpful and important to focus on in the moment.

I will walk you through an exercise that helps you distance yourself from difficult thoughts and feelings. It’s okay if you don’t feel anxious now—practicing this exercise will help you develop skills you can use when anxiety arises.

The Clouds on the Sky

Download the package to print here. I have both black and white and color versions for you to choose from. Set a timer for 3 minutes and write down the thoughts you notice on the clouds. ‘I have no thoughts’ is also a thought, so it can also go on a cloud. If you have more thoughts than there are clouds on the page, write down as many as you can fit or add more clouds. Some thoughts might be disturbing, some might be neutral, and some might be pleasant. Mark the disturbing ones with an X.

The sun on the picture represents your values—things that matter deep in your heart. Notice that the sun will always be there—no matter how cloudy the sky gets, the sun can provide a steady anchor in the ever-changing sky of your thought clouds.

Now, think of a couple of values-based goals for this week. For example, if your value is being supportive, think about small actions you can take to support a loved one in doing something important or treating yourself with support when you have a difficult day. Use the hot air balloon, plane, and bird in the image to represent these goals.

Now, look at the page. As you look at the thoughts you wrote down, do they seem as powerful as before? Notice them for what they are — thoughts that come and go. It might get a bit easier to see the bigger picture now and remember the values and goals you want to focus on.

Leave a comment below if you found this exercise helpful.

You can do hard things.
Anna Scetinina

Reference:
Harris, R. (2019). ACT Made Simple: An Easy-to-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. 2nd ed. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.