Tug Of War With The Anxiety Monster

third Jun 2012 | Leave a remark Tug of War with The Anxiety Monster “The single most outstanding truth of human existence is how exhausting it's for humans to be happy“. (Hayes, Wilson and Strohsahl, 1999). So begins the guide that modified my life endlessly, the first version of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy guide.It articulated one thing which I already knew to be true with out truly realising. All my efforts to attempt to be pleased had failed. (And I had tried most issues: alcohol, drugs, exercise, remedy, onerous work, perfectionism, constructive psychology, preserving busy, watching TV, career breaks, denial, blaming other folks, re-structuring my pondering…you name it, I tried it). But none of it labored. Not for long, no less than. Then I read that line and something shifted. Not lengthy after I attended a seminar where a metaphor was used: Imagine you might be in a tug of war with some big anxiety monster. You are pulling with all your may because in between you and the monster is a big, bottomless pit. You are spending all of your vitality pulling because you are sure when you lose you’ll be pulled into the pit. But the more durable you pull the harder the monster pulls. You’re growing drained and you should win. What’s the most effective factor to do? Well your thoughts will let you know to maintain pulling, harder and tougher. But the monster never seems to tire. You’re still caught. So what’s one of the best factor to do now? DROP THE ROPE! Give up on the battle along with your thoughts to try to control your ideas and feelings. This means being willing to have the monster round after all â€" you haven't won the battle. But suddenly your arms and toes are free to go and do something extra productive along with your life than interact in a tug of warfare. In the case of my own career change, this meant I was freer to move forward with my new enterprise and make progress even on those days when the nervousness monster threw me the rope, again and again and stated: Let’s tug! Career Change, D eveloping Coaches - ACT Training, Getting Unstuck teaching Tags: ACT in teaching, Dealing with tough thoughts and emotions, Experiential avoidance, Flexible pondering: using ACT in profession change, Psychology of career change, Step 1: Understanding stuckness Your email tackle is not going to be revealed. Required fields are marked * Comment Name * Email * Website Save my name, e-mail, and web site in this browser for the following time I remark. This website makes use of Akismet to cut back spam. Learn how your comment knowledge is processed. « The Drugs Don't Work... A Word On Your Mind... »