ACT 

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy that focuses on making room for difficult thoughts and feelings rather than trying to control or eliminate them. ACT teaches individuals to be mindful of the present moment, clarify their values and commit to taking action that is aligned with those values. The goal is to develop psychological flexibility, by practising cognitive defusion techniques to help improve overall well-being, and learning to open up and embrace what is beyond one's control while taking steps towards a meaningful life.

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ACT is not about trying to control thoughts or language but rather learn to observe them with a sense of curiosity while still moving towards what is important. ACT teaches that the more we try and fight or debate with our mind, the more we move away from our values and into experiential avoidance which can lead to unhelpful behaviours. The point of ACT is to acknowledge that even with our mind chattering away we still have control over our bodies and behaviours. 

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You can imagine psychological flexibility like working out at a gym. When we work out we build muscle and become stronger, allowing us to tackle and accomplish things we may have thought we could never do. Psychological flexibility refers to building our mind muscle, allowing us to become stronger so our thoughts don't have to dictate our behaviours. We start seeing our thoughts as suggestions rather than rigid rules.

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