Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life

[Daniel E.]

I am working on this workbook, Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life, with my therapist.

So I will be posting related resources here.

Incidentally, there is a similar book for teens:

Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens: A Guide to Living an Extraordinary Life

 

[Daniel E.]

From the first weekly e-mail in Steven Hayes' free 7-part ACT series:

Why you suffer (more than you have to)

Humans are capable of a vast array of painful emotions.

And you’ve probably had your own experience with this.

Maybe you’re dealing with depression, anxiety, worry, or any other kind of pain.

Whatever it is, you have probably had enough of it.

But the truth is, it’s not just your anxiety or depression that creates pain.

There are activities you would engage in if it weren’t for your pain. That expands the role pain has played in your life.

And not participating in these activities creates even more pain.

You get pain on top of pain, and that is not a bad definition of suffering.

Not only must you deal with the immediate pain of your thoughts, feelings, and physical ailments, you also must deal with the pain caused by the fact that your pain prevents you from living the kind of life you want to live.

The more you live your life trying to avoid the pain of fear, depression, and anxiety, the more extra pain you get on top.

So what would your life look like if the pain was gone?

Exercise: The Pain is Gone, Now What?

Imagine that someone has waved a magic wand over you, and your psychological pain has vanished.

Imagine that you wake up one morning and suddenly, for no reason at all, the chronic depression you’ve suffered from all these years (or the anxiety, or worry, or whatever your core struggles may be) is gone.

What would you do?

If _________ weren’t such a problem for me, I would ______________________.

If I didn’t have _________, I would ______________________.

For example:

"If anger weren’t such a problem for me, I would have more intimate relationships"

"If I didn’t have so much stress, I would work harder at my career and find the job I dreamed of having"

"If I wasn’t so anxious, I would travel and participate fully in life"
​

Take five minutes and really think about what your life would look like once the pain was gone. The more specific your answer, the better.

Over the next few [weekly] emails, I’ll teach you what it takes to overcome the unnecessary part of pain and take your life in a meaningful direction.

 

[Daniel E.]

Psychological flexibility: How love turns pain into purpose | Steven Hayes | TEDxUniversityofNevada - YouTube

• Why trying to get rid of pain creates even more pain
• How I got my first panic attack (and how I learned to move forward with it)
• Why psychological flexibility is crucial to building a rich and meaningful life (especially if you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or worry)
• Why embracing your pain is the kindest thing you can do for yourself

 

[Daniel E.]

Worksheets from the book.