Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic framework for establishing vitality in our lives… to bring us to an appreciation of our aliveness, and to choose our actions based on values that establish deep meaning.
 
At its core, ACT proposes that psychological flexibility is the way forward to experiencing this vitality. There are 6 elements of ACT which bind together to form what is known as the ‘hexaflex’… the six-sided diamond of psychological flexibility. 

Each of these six areas (mindfulness, core values, committed action, self-as-context, thought defusion, and acceptance) can be summarized into a triflex… Three overarching areas to focus your personal development:

• Be present (mindfulness, self-as-context)
• Do what matters (committed action, core values)
• Open up (acceptance, thought defusion)

When I consider the truly valuable decisions I have made in my life, those which had important consequences for myself and others, or have created a significant shift in my world, they are due to these factors. The ability to be mindful, to notice myself, to understand my values and act accordingly, to accept the presence by opening up to the unwanted instead of resisting the unwanted, and to understand my thoughts to be observed rather than clutched, these are the abilities which have allowed me to live a peaceful and meaningful life.
 
If you are in therapy, I encourage you to discuss psychological flexibility with your therapist. If you can’t do therapy, or don’t want to right now, there are loads of great resources to begin understanding (and importantly, applying) for your psychological flexibility.
 
Be present, do what matters, open up.
Be your own best friend, Ange
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The sciency / resources bits:
Flourish Mindfully resources  (images supplied by flourish mindfully)
ACT made simple, Dr Russ Harris
ACT resources 
ACT is effective for reduction of depression 
ACT is effective for reducing anxiety 
ACT improves quality of life symptoms and some chronic health conditions 
ACT can assist with parenting by improving adaptive parenting strategies, lowering stress, reducing harshness and improving family cohesion 
Mindfulness (used in ACT framework) is associated with higher levels of relationship satisfaction