What is ACT and Why Does it Provide Relief from Anxiety and Stress?

A widely used and effective treatment for anxiety is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Although ACT is not as common as other types of anxiety treatment such as CBT or DBT, it is something that can make a major difference for anxiety symptoms, as well as other areas of your life. In this article we will talk about what is involved with ACT, and break down its parts – as well as explain how it helps with anxiety symptoms. 

How does it work? 

ACT is made up of two parts – acceptance and commitment. It works on the idea that psychological distress and anxiety often come from living a life that is disconnected from our values – and psychological health and wellbeing can come from getting closer to living a life that is aligned with our values. According to ACT practitioners, a valued and meaningful life will likely involve some anxiety – but this is seen as a normal response to pursuing our goals, and the discomfort we experience means that we’re getting closer to what we really want. This is a very different approach to other therapies such as CBT or DBT, but is very helpful for people who take more of a ‘big picture’ approach to psychological wellbeing. 

Acceptance 

One of the most harmful consequences of anxiety is that it can cause us to avoid things that make us feel anxious – such as study, work commitments, or social activities. According to ACT practitioners, it is the avoidance of these things that makes things worse – the more we avoid things, the worse our anxiety gets, and the smaller our lives become – because we’re spending so much time and energy on avoiding triggers, and managing our anxiety.

The idea of acceptance is a powerful one, and we can almost think of it as the opposite of avoidance – we are encouraged to simply accept that anxiety will come up for us from time to time, and this is something that is totally normal. A good example is feeling anxious before a job interview – if we choose avoidance, we might end up cancelling a job interview, or taking something to calm us down before our interview which might also affect our performance. If we choose acceptance, we can make some room for anxiety here (after all, who doesn’t feel anxious in a job interview?!), and focus on calming ourselves before the interview by taking deep breaths. 

Being able to accept anxiety when it comes up for us can be transformational, since we can then focus on something other than getting rid of the anxiety – and we can make sure we don’t get distracted from what really matters to us – whether it is getting that job, going on that date, or finishing that piece of work. 

Commitment

The second part of ACT works with the idea that connecting to, and living, our values, will increase our quality of life and reduce psychological distress – and if we’re disconnected from our values, we’re likely to be feeling flat, anxious and depressed. If we can make a commitment to engaging with our core values, it means that we’ll be more satisfied in our lives – we might feel anxious at certain times (eg. in that job interview), but it will be worth it, since we’re moving towards what we really want. 

A good example of this might be studying at university – a person might have a lot of anxiety and fear about exams and giving presentations in front of the class – but they really want to get their degree so they can be financially secure, and work in a career that they love and that is meaningful to them. Focusing on the values behind their studies, as well as the bigger picture, means that, although they might feel anxious at times while studying, it is worth it in the longer run – the anxiety they feel is in service of something bigger.

ACT therapy also offers useful anxiety management strategies to help with these moments of distress, and to help someone get through stressful times – but essentially, the idea is that sometimes we will be anxious, and that is okay. After all, you would likely feel anxious at times even if you hadn’t started studying – and this way, you’re a lot closer to your goals than you would have been otherwise. 

Why does it work for anxiety? 

ACT takes a more holistic approach and encourages us to see anxiety as a normal response to life’s challenges and getting out of our comfort zones – so by focusing more on the big picture, it helps people put their anxiety symptoms into context. People who have used ACT often find that they no longer respond with fear to their anxiety symptoms, but rather make room for them and acknowledge that they are there for a good reason. This can help to break the cycle of avoidance that can emerge with anxiety, since anxiety symptoms are seen as normal and manageable. 

Secondly, since anxiety often co-occurs with depression, a ‘big-picture’ approach can be really beneficial for looking at someone’s life situation. Making changes and connecting with core values can help someone to improve their mood and hopes for the future, and anxiety symptoms will naturally improve as a result of making changes. For example, if you’re depressed and anxious because you’re working in an office by yourself for a bank, but your values are social connection and creativity, making some changes to live those values are likely to shift your mood. This might be changing jobs so that you’re around people, or even starting some study or hobbies so that you can live your value of creativity. 

How can I find an ACT therapist? 

Finding the right therapist for you can be a challenge, but fortunately it is a great time to be looking, since many therapists have online profiles and you can find one that suits you. You can find some advice about how to find a therapist here. Mind Ease also has some useful ACT exercises that you can try if you are curious about this concept – our ACT exercises are designed for people who are experiencing anxiety, and can be helpful in identifying your core values and helping you to make room for anxious feelings.

If you’d like reliable relief from anxiety, you can install Mind Ease for free here.