Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a compassionate approach to dealing with work anxiety that emphasises acceptance, mindfulness, values, and committed action. Clients may wish to engage an anxiety therapist that offers acceptance and commitment therapy for anxiety because it addresses the core issue of struggling with anxiety, promotes psychological flexibility, focuses on values, encourages acceptance, and is evidence-based.
CBT aims to modify problematic thoughts and behaviours, and focuses on problem-solving and symptom reduction. ACT, on the other hand, aims to change the relationship with internal experiences through acceptance and defusion, and focuses on values and committed action, promoting living well over simply feeling well. While there are key differences, both approaches can be useful for anxiety, and the best choice of approach may depend on the specific needs and preferences of the client.
The worry trap is a cycle of unproductive thinking and behaviours that keeps people stuck in anxiety. By recognising this pattern, shifting perspective, learning to accept thoughts and feelings, and taking action based on values, people can escape this trap and rewire their anxious brain to live more fulfilling lives. Therapists play an important role in guiding people through this process, providing support, education, and practical tools.
If you are experiencing severe anxiety, it’s important to know there are various effective paths to recovery. This guide explores different approaches to treatment for anxiety, helping you choose the best fit for your needs. Consider your values, goals, and willingness to engage with your experience when deciding whether to focus on acceptance and mindfulness or to use more solution-focused approaches. If you feel overwhelmed with your anxiety and it’s impacting your ability to function, it may be a good idea to see your doctor.
An anxiety coach is a valuable partner in managing anxiety at work. By using a combination of solution-focused and acceptance and commitment therapy techniques, along with other coaching methodologies, the coach empowers individuals to develop practical skills and strategies to navigate workplace anxiety, enhance their professional lives, and improve their overall well-being. The focus is on helping clients move towards their goals, take action and live a life aligned with their values, rather than simply trying to reduce anxiety. This approach allows clients to thrive in their careers with optimism and confidence.
Dealing with anxiety at work requires a multifaceted approach. By combining techniques such as mindfulness, acceptance, exposure, relaxation, assertiveness, and preparation, alongside a robust support system and perhaps an anxiety coach, you can reduce the impact of anxiety, improve performance, and increase confidence at work. The key is to understand your individual anxiety patterns, develop coping strategies and challenge the avoidance behaviours that maintain anxiety.
Overcoming burnout requires acknowledging the problem, taking steps to reduce stress, and seeking support. By making key changes you can move from burnout to a mentally healthier place with greater passion, resilience, and life satisfaction. Key strategies include creating boundaries, prioritising self-care, seeking support, reframing your approach to work, and learning to manage your responses to stress.
Mental freedom is about not being controlled by your own thoughts and feelings, and instead observing them without judgement. It is about choosing a life directed by your values, rather than being dictated by your anxiety or depression. An anxiety coach helps individuals to develop mental freedom by using a range of tools and strategies, including mindfulness, acceptance, defusion and value clarification. By working with an anxiety coach, individuals can expect to experience a reduction in avoidance and an increase in self-compassion and resilience. They can also begin to move towards a more meaningful life.
When you feel nervous, anxious, or worried, it’s important not to fight those feelings. Instead, focus on what you can do to calm your anxious mind, such as using mindful breathing, practicing mindfulness, challenging negative thoughts, and accepting your feelings. These techniques can help you to manage the intensity of anxious feelings, and to move forward in a more positive way.
Seeking help from an anxiety specialist is advisable when anxiety significantly interferes with your daily life, causes intense and prolonged distress, leads to avoidance behaviours, or prevents you from living in alignment with your values. If self-help strategies are not providing sufficient relief, or if you are using negative coping mechanisms, professional help can be beneficial. An anxiety specialist can assist in managing your symptoms and guide you towards a more fulfilling life.
Defusion techniques involve a shift in how we relate to our thoughts, so that we see them as mental events, not facts. This process can reduce reactivity, increase flexibility, and support general well-being. Defusion may seem strange but it can allow more freedom in life and less intense reactions to thinking.
Automatic Negative Thoughts are spontaneous, negative thought patterns that are influenced by our negativity bias, habitual thinking, emotional triggers and past experiences. Instead of fighting against these thoughts, the most effective approach is to acknowledge and identify them, challenge and reframe them, create distance from them, and practise mindfulness and self-compassion. Techniques such as journaling, focusing on coping thoughts, and actively shifting the focus on solutions can help individuals manage the impact of ANTs.
Experiential avoidance is a core component of anxiety disorders, contributing to a cycle of suffering, restricted lives, and reduced well-being. By reducing this avoidance and embracing acceptance and willingness, individuals can experience a higher quality of life, with increased psychological flexibility, more opportunities, and a greater sense of meaning and purpose.
ACT recognizes that psychological suffering is often caused by experiential avoidance, which is the attempt to avoid unwanted thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensations. ACT aims to break this cycle.
Creative Hopelessness: ACT challenges the client’s past attempts to control anxiety, often through creative hopelessness exercises, to help them see the futility of these efforts.
It’s important to be compassionate with yourself during this process. Choose one or two techniques that resonate with you and begin to implement them. If you find self-help approaches difficult, reach out to a professional for support, recognising that seeking help is an act of compassion.