Finding an ACT Therapist in Chicago: Learn to Build Mental Strength
Life is filled with challenges and pain. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches that our efforts to get rid of pain do not work, but we can learn how to live well in spite of the pain. While we can’t control pain, we don’t have to suffer.
Rather than fighting uncomfortable emotions, ACT helps you develop psychological flexibility: the ability to stay present, accept what’s out of your control, and take action in alignment with your values. Steve Hayes, the founder of ACT, defines psychological flexibility as the ability to “make contact with experience in the present moment fully and without defense.” This ability is like a superpower: it allows you to shift your perspective and move with life’s challenges more smoothly.
Psychological flexibility can be understood through the metaphor of the surfer on the waves.
You can’t control the size or force of the waves, your thoughts, emotions, or circumstances, but you can learn how to surf them.
Rigidity: Trying to stop or fight the waves.
Flexibility: Learning to balance, fall, get back up, and stay in motion with whatever life brings.
ACT is a powerful approach for a variety of issues, especially when dealing with intense anxiety, depression, stress, or life transitions. It can help you move from struggling with your thoughts to living a life that feels more aligned with your values.
What is truly important to you?
What have you tried in pursuit of what matters most? Have those strategies worked?
Are you willing to try something different, even if it is uncomfortable?
These questions help you assess the workability of your strategies: whether they’re helping you create the life you want. Instead of getting stuck trying to control what you can’t, ACT guides you to focus your energy on what you can control: your actions, your values, and how you relate to your inner experience.
If you’re looking for an ACT therapist in Chicago, feel free to contact me for a free consultation.
