Re: ACT when under pressure

[Guest guest]

As you work from below (when anxiety is not so intense) graduallyacceptance and mindfulness skills start to show up even in more intense moments, but it takes a whileThe problem is that under high anxiety a problem solving mode of mind is

so intense, that even attempts to step out of that mode of mind aregrounded in it. So " be present " is overwhelmed by " is it working? " since it is really " be present for this purpose that my mind has that is

the exact opposite of being present " One thing to try: under high anxiety see if you become genuinely curious.Put on hold any assessment of intensity or any purpose to yourcuriosity. Think of yourself as a little kid watching a bug. Watch anxiety ebb and flow;

watch your mind try to solve it; watch your body react; watch memories flash byIt will still likely flicker some ... but open curiosity seems to be a mode of mind thatyou can step into from that problem solving mode of mind a bit more readily

than " willingness " etc (and it naturally contains most of that)- S C. Foundation ProfessorDepartment of Psychology /298University of NevadaReno, NV 89557-0062

hayes@... or stevenchayes@...Fax: Context Press (you can use for messages): (www.contextpress.com)

If you want my vita, publications, PowerPoint slides, go to http://www.contextualpsychology.org/blog/steven_hayes If you are a professional or student and want to be part of the world wide ACT discussion or RFT discussions go to http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy/join

orhttp://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/relationalframetheory/joinIf you are a member of the public reading ACT self-help books (e.g., " Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life " etc) go to: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACT_for_the_Public/join

Hi all,

I've only been practising ACT for about a week and a half and already

noticed a definite improvement in my quality of life.

Something i've noticed though, is when experiencing unusually high

levels of anxiety (in unfamiliar social situations where a lot of

interaction is required, for example), I find it tough to practice

the mindful techniques on my own thoughts while at the same striving

to live in the moment and be aware of (or take part in) what is going

on at the time.

Does anyone else find this challenging? My mind tends to flick

through various techniques, eg. be present -> observing self ->

acknowledge thoughts & emotions -> flick struggle switch off ->

accept the anxiety -> be willing to experience it -> be present (etc)

which can all help me to feel more at peace, but at the same time I

often feel like I am missing something that is going on in a

practical sense or not contributing as best I could.

This is not the norm, as I said I've only noticed it in high pressure

situations but wonder if anyone else feels the same?

I do want to point out that in general, I'm finding ACT wonderful and

have already " preached " about it to several friends, one of who is

buying GOOYL!

Adam

[Guest guest]

Hi Adam,

Mindfulness takes practice and you are very new to it. I had a

dialectable behaviour therapy book where the author said don't

practice mindfulness at work and don't do it while driving the car.

Now I can do it at work but only when I am on my own. I tried it

driving once and nearly crashed the thing and when I parked it I went

up the kerb.

Driving is a learned experience and we do much of it automatically.

When I was driving the car, being mindful, I lost that unconscious

smoothness. I concentrated on the steering, the brakes, the throttle,

people on the road, the trees, etc, and the whole thing became

disjointed. If I am with people the same thing happens and my mind

goes blank and I don't know what to say.

Now another book I have say's you can drive mindfully but it takes

some practice. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a mindfulness expert, has mindfulness

days, which means he has days where he is not mindful all the time.

And my book, The Mindful Way through Depression say's eat one meal

mindfully a day.

Some skilled people on this site might be mindfull most of the time

and it does sound rather wonderful, but don't worry if you can only

do it when it is less intense. Practice without striving and enjoy.

Kavy

>

> > Hi all,

> >

> > I've only been practising ACT for about a week and a half and

already

> > noticed a definite improvement in my quality of life.

> >

> > Something i've noticed though, is when experiencing unusually high

> > levels of anxiety (in unfamiliar social situations where a lot of

> > interaction is required, for example), I find it tough to practice

> > the mindful techniques on my own thoughts while at the same

striving

> > to live in the moment and be aware of (or take part in) what is

going

> > on at the time.

> >

> > Does anyone else find this challenging? My mind tends to flick

> > through various techniques, eg. be present -> observing self ->

> > acknowledge thoughts & emotions -> flick struggle switch off ->

> > accept the anxiety -> be willing to experience it -> be present

(etc)

> > which can all help me to feel more at peace, but at the same time

I

> > often feel like I am missing something that is going on in a

> > practical sense or not contributing as best I could.

> >

> > This is not the norm, as I said I've only noticed it in high

pressure

> > situations but wonder if anyone else feels the same?

> >

> > I do want to point out that in general, I'm finding ACT wonderful

and

> > have already " preached " about it to several friends, one of who is

> > buying GOOYL!

> >

> > Adam

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Driving provides a good metaphor for practicing ACT when under

pressure. You don’t learn to drive by immediately going out onto the

freeway in thick fog, strong winds and pouring rain. You learn to drive by first

going out in reasonable weather conditions on uncongested roads with low speed

limits. As your skills increase, you learn how to handle the car in

increasingly challenging conditions. And even when you are an excellent and experienced

driver, bad weather and poor road surfaces will still provide a major challenge.

You’ll never be a perfect driver, but the more you practice, the better

you’ll get.

Cheers, Russ

Russ

PO Box 5079

Alphington, Vic 3058

www.thehappinesstrap.com

www.actmindfully.com.au

From: ACT_for_the_Public

[mailto:ACT_for_the_Public ] On Behalf Of kavyvinson

Sent: Wednesday, 3 December 2008 5:28 AM

To: ACT_for_the_Public

Subject: Re: ACT when under pressure

Hi Adam,

Mindfulness takes practice and you are very new to it. I had a

dialectable behaviour therapy book where the author said don't

practice mindfulness at work and don't do it while driving the car.

Now I can do it at work but only when I am on my own. I tried it

driving once and nearly crashed the thing and when I parked it I went

up the kerb.

Driving is a learned experience and we do much of it automatically.

When I was driving the car, being mindful, I lost that unconscious

smoothness. I concentrated on the steering, the brakes, the throttle,

people on the road, the trees, etc, and the whole thing became

disjointed. If I am with people the same thing happens and my mind

goes blank and I don't know what to say.

Now another book I have say's you can drive mindfully but it takes

some practice. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a mindfulness expert, has mindfulness

days, which means he has days where he is not mindful all the time.

And my book, The Mindful Way through Depression say's eat one meal

mindfully a day.

Some skilled people on this site might be mindfull most of the time

and it does sound rather wonderful, but don't worry if you can only

do it when it is less intense. Practice without striving and enjoy.

Kavy

>

> > Hi all,

> >

> > I've only been practising ACT for about a week and a half and

already

> > noticed a definite improvement in my quality of life.

> >

> > Something i've noticed though, is when experiencing unusually high

> > levels of anxiety (in unfamiliar social situations where a lot of

> > interaction is required, for example), I find it tough to practice

> > the mindful techniques on my own thoughts while at the same

striving

> > to live in the moment and be aware of (or take part in) what is

going

> > on at the time.

> >

> > Does anyone else find this challenging? My mind tends to flick

> > through various techniques, eg. be present -> observing self ->

> > acknowledge thoughts & emotions -> flick struggle switch off

->

> > accept the anxiety -> be willing to experience it -> be present

(etc)

> > which can all help me to feel more at peace, but at the same time

I

> > often feel like I am missing something that is going on in a

> > practical sense or not contributing as best I could.

> >

> > This is not the norm, as I said I've only noticed it in high

pressure

> > situations but wonder if anyone else feels the same?

> >

> > I do want to point out that in general, I'm finding ACT wonderful

and

> > have already " preached " about it to several friends, one of

who is

> > buying GOOYL!

> >

> > Adam

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Well put Russ. I have to start a program at midnight. Well put. That helped me. Thank you.

Bill (Bill Stickers)

Van Nuys, California

Re: ACT when under pressure

Hi Adam,

Mindfu

lness takes practice and you are very new to it. I had a

dialectable behaviour therapy book where the author said don't

practice mindfulness at work and don't do it while driving the car.

Now I can do it at work but only when I am on my own. I tried it

driving once and nearly crashed the thing and when I parked it I went

up the kerb.

Driving is a learned experience and we do much of it automatically.

When I was driving the car, being mindful, I lost that unconscious

smoothness. I concentrated on the steering, the brakes, the throttle,

people on the road, the trees, etc, and the whole thing became

disjointed. If I am with people the same thing happens and my mind

goes blank and I don't know what to say.

Now another book I have say's you can drive mindfully but it takes

some practice. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a mindfulness expert, has mindfulness

days, which means he has days where he is not mindful all the time.

And my book, The Mindful Way through Depression say's eat one meal

mindfully a day.

Some skilled people on this site might be mindfull most of the time

and it does sound rather wonderful, but don't worry if you can only

do it when it is less intense. Practice without striving and enjoy.

Kavy

>

> > Hi all,

> >

> > I've only been practising ACT for about a week and a half and

already

> > noticed a definite improvement in my quality of life.

> >

> > Something i've noticed though, is when experienci

ng unusually high

> > levels of anxiety (in unfamiliar social situations where a lot of

> > interaction is required, for example), I find it tough to practice

> > the mindful techniques on my own thoughts while at the same

striving

> > to live in the moment and be aware of (or take part in) what is

going

> > on at the time.

> >

> > Does anyone else find this challenging? My mind tends to flick

> > through various techniques, eg. be present -> observing self ->

> > acknowledge thoughts & emotions -> flick struggle switch off ->

> > accept the anxiety -> be willing to experience it -> be present

(etc)

> > which can all help me to feel more at peace, but at the same time

I

> > often feel like I am missing something that is going on in a

> > practical sense or not contributing as best I could.

> >

> > This is not the norm, as I said I've only noticed it in high

pressure

> > situations but wonder if anyone else feels the same?

> >

> > I do want to point out that in general, I'm finding ACT wonderful

and

> > have already "preached" about it to several friends, one of who is

> > buying GOOYL!

> >

> > Adam

> >

> >

> >

>

Tis the season to save your money! Get the new AOL Holiday Toolbar for money saving offers and gift ideas.

[Guest guest]

Thanks Russ,

This has been very helpful. I am also new to ACT and find as long as

things are not too stressful I can difuse thoughts and be mindful etc

It's already making quite a change to my life. I was lucky that my

therapist recommended ACT, she's great and I am sure with some

coaching I will be able to learn how to use ACT in more stressful

situations.

I had a pretty lousy weekend and all my intentions of practising ACT

went out the window, I was just too upset. Then of course I was

beating myself up for not defusing, accepting and taking any action

in the right direction.

Now that things have settled down I am back on track.

Also, I really enjoy reading all posts on this board. I don't have

much to contribute at this stage but I am quite impressed by the

depth of the conversations that take place.

Birgit,

Perth, Australia

> >

> > > Hi all,

> > >

> > > I've only been practising ACT for about a week and a half and

> already

> > > noticed a definite improvement in my quality of life.

> > >

> > > Something i've noticed though, is when experiencing unusually

high

> > > levels of anxiety (in unfamiliar social situations where a lot

of

> > > interaction is required, for example), I find it tough to

practice

> > > the mindful techniques on my own thoughts while at the same

> striving

> > > to live in the moment and be aware of (or take part in) what is

> going

> > > on at the time.

> > >

> > > Does anyone else find this challenging? My mind tends to flick

> > > through various techniques, eg. be present -> observing self ->

> > > acknowledge thoughts & emotions -> flick struggle switch off ->

> > > accept the anxiety -> be willing to experience it -> be present

> (etc)

> > > which can all help me to feel more at peace, but at the same

time

> I

> > > often feel like I am missing something that is going on in a

> > > practical sense or not contributing as best I could.

> > >

> > > This is not the norm, as I said I've only noticed it in high

> pressure

> > > situations but wonder if anyone else feels the same?

> > >

> > > I do want to point out that in general, I'm finding ACT

wonderful

> and

> > > have already " preached " about it to several friends, one of who

is

> > > buying GOOYL!

> > >

> > > Adam

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Birgit,

I find that when under pressure the hardest part for me is to use those new ways

of coping when the old ones seem tried and true. They aren't really but it

seems as if they are. And yes that can keep me stuck. But I keep trying it.

I think my biggest issue is I dip my toe in but don't jump. I need to jump.

There is a part in the bridge that you cannot walk across and have to take that

leap of faith. I think it i was in the GOOYMAIYL that he said that acceptance

is like a switch not a dial. Inside, I know I have to do it and I will. But

know with pracitice the new coping strategies will become habit. And one way I

know that I am getting better is when I recognize it faster and faster

afterwards.

Peace,

Robyn

-------------- Original message ----------------------

> Thanks Russ,

>

> This has been very helpful. I am also new to ACT and find as long as

> things are not too stressful I can difuse thoughts and be mindful etc

> It's already making quite a change to my life. I was lucky that my

> therapist recommended ACT, she's great and I am sure with some

> coaching I will be able to learn how to use ACT in more stressful

> situations.

> I had a pretty lousy weekend and all my intentions of practising ACT

> went out the window, I was just too upset. Then of course I was

> beating myself up for not defusing, accepting and taking any action

> in the right direction.

> Now that things have settled down I am back on track.

>

> Also, I really enjoy reading all posts on this board. I don't have

> much to contribute at this stage but I am quite impressed by the

> depth of the conversations that take place.

>

> Birgit,

> Perth, Australia

>

>

>

> >

> > > Hi all,

> > >

> > > I've only been practising ACT for about a week and a half and

> already

> > > noticed a definite improvement in my quality of life.

> > >

> > > Something i've noticed though, is when experiencing unusually

high

> > > levels of anxiety (in unfamiliar social situations where a lot

of

> > > interaction is required, for example), I find it tough to

practice

> > > the mindful techniques on my own thoughts while at the same

> striving

> > > to live in the moment and be aware of (or take part in) what is

> going

> > > on at the time.

> > >

> > > Does anyone else find this challenging? My mind tends to flick

> > > through various techniques, eg. be present -> observing self ->

> > > acknowledge thoughts & emotions -> flick struggle switch off ->

> > > accept the anxiety -> be willing to experience it -> be present

> (etc)

> > > which can all help me to feel more at peace, but at the same

time

> I

> > > often feel like I am missing something that is going on in a

> > > practical sense or not contributing as best I could.

> > >

> > > This is not the norm, as I said I've only noticed it in high

> pressure

> > > situations but wonder if anyone else feels the same?

> > >

> > > I do want to point out that in general, I'm finding ACT

wonderful

> and

> > > have already " preached " about it to several friends, one of who

is

> > > buying GOOYL!

> > >

> > > Adam

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

A buddhist friend once told me that in the 60's buddhism had started

to become popular in the UK and many people started practicing

mindfulness. There was no one to teach them how to do it, so they

learnt from books and from a few people that learnt a bit in the

East. Eventually a leading Eastern buddhist came over to visit the UK

and found that everyone was as stiff as boards practicing

mindfulness. He told them to ease up and be gentle, it isn't done

like that. 'Go easy with it', he said, 'you're trying too hard'.

Kavy

> > >

> > > > Hi all,

> > > >

> > > > I've only been practising ACT for about a week and a half and

> > already

> > > > noticed a definite improvement in my quality of life.

> > > >

> > > > Something i've noticed though, is when experiencing unusually

> high

> > > > levels of anxiety (in unfamiliar social situations where a

lot

> of

> > > > interaction is required, for example), I find it tough to

> practice

> > > > the mindful techniques on my own thoughts while at the same

> > striving

> > > > to live in the moment and be aware of (or take part in) what

is

> > going

> > > > on at the time.

> > > >

> > > > Does anyone else find this challenging? My mind tends to flick

> > > > through various techniques, eg. be present -> observing self -

>

> > > > acknowledge thoughts & emotions -> flick struggle switch off -

>

> > > > accept the anxiety -> be willing to experience it -> be

present

> > (etc)

> > > > which can all help me to feel more at peace, but at the same

> time

> > I

> > > > often feel like I am missing something that is going on in a

> > > > practical sense or not contributing as best I could.

> > > >

> > > > This is not the norm, as I said I've only noticed it in high

> > pressure

> > > > situations but wonder if anyone else feels the same?

> > > >

> > > > I do want to point out that in general, I'm finding ACT

> wonderful

> > and

> > > > have already " preached " about it to several friends, one of

who

> is

> > > > buying GOOYL!

> > > >

> > > > Adam

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

>