Using ACT for Anxiety Treatment

Anxiety has been disrupting your life for quite some time. You may not even remember the last time anxiety wasn’t present. It has become part of your life and a normal every day experience.

It shows up as the random thought and worry once your head hits the pillow. It causes you to go down the rabbit hole of scenarios and thoughts. Causing undue stress and frustration.

It shows up as frustration and constantly nagging your significant other because they don’t take a specific route on the way to the local movie theater, restaurant, or any place really (guilty).

Anxiety is also biting your nails and being fidgety.

Acceptance and commitment therapy can help to address symptoms of anxiety and help to shift your mindset and relationship with your anxiety.

In part 3 of this blog series about CBT vs ACT, learn how ACT for anxiety can be beneficial.

I am an ACT therapist in Wilmington, NC and specialize in counseling for women. I use acceptance and commitment therapy for anxiety treatment, treatment for perfectionism, therapy for overcoming imposter syndrome, and to reducing burnout.

My ACT therapy services include online therapy in North Carolina and Maryland.

Online schedule a consultation to get started with me in ACT therapy in Wilmington, NC by clicking the button below.

I'm Ready to Start ACT Therapy for Anxiety

Keep reading to learn more about ACT for anxiety and you can check out the other two blog posts in this series about CBT vs ACT:

Can CBT Help Treat My Anxiety?

CBT vs ACT Therapy for Anxiety

ACT Can Help with These Common Anxiety Symptoms

ACT can be helpful in addressing some of these common anxiety symptoms:

Nervousness
Tension
Restlessness
Excessive Worrying
Difficulty Sleeping
Feeling Overwhelmed
Fidgety
Increased Heart Rate
Thoughts of Impending Doom
Difficultly Concentrating
Feelings of Fear

6 Ways ACT Therapy Can Help Change Your Relationship with Anxiety

ACT Therapy takes into account actions and behaviors you’ve been doing and finding out if those things have been a helpful way to address your anxiety or if these behaviors don’t add value to your life and make anxiety worse.

Check out how these 6 core parts of ACT therapy help with anxiety.

#1 Be in the Present

ACT therapy for anxiety encourages being in the present moment. Recognizing what is happening in the here and now to choose how to respond to the anxiety that is showing up. Being in the present moment is a major piece of mindfulness.

For more information on mindfulness check out these helpful blog posts on mindfulness:

What is Mindfulness and How is it Used in Anxiety Therapy?

5 Quick and Easy Ways to Practice Mindfulness During the Day

#2 Acceptance

Part of being in the present and mindful is also about accepting of what your mind is thinking and what feelings are showing up. This does not mean you have to “like” what showing up but recognizing this is the experience you are having in this very moment.

#3 Separate from Your Thoughts

In ACT therapy this is called cognitive defusion. Cognitive defusion is really helpful with anxiety because it teaches you to recognize your thoughts as only thoughts that your mind is thinking. It helps to take away the pressure and emphasis anxiety brings to those thoughts.

#4 Self-As-Context

This part of ACT encourages you to notice and observe yourself separate from what you think about yourself.

#5 What Do You Value

Doing values work is a huge part of ACT therapy. Values help remind us of what is important and how we want to live our life. Often times anxiety can take us away from these important things. When we begin to live life in accordance to values our mindset also shifts and changes.

#6 Committed Action

Acceptance and commitment therapy is a very active treatment model and is about making actual changes in your behaviors based on these other parts of ACT Therapy model covered above.

I talk to my clients about the role of avoidance with anxiety and for my anxious folks avoidance is a huge issue. This can look like actively avoiding either physically or mentally. However, taking committed action means working through some of the avoidance to change the anxiety response.

ACT works very well when avoidance is the main culprit for keeping your anxiety up.

All of these parts of acceptance and commitment therapy is to improve psychological flexibility. This means turning up the volume when the thoughts and emotions are helpful and learning to tune them out when they aren’t helpful.

To learn more about acceptance and commitment therapy click here!

Begin ACT Therapy in Wilmington, NC

ACT therapy for anxiety can be really beneficial and encouraging. It can help to create a change in mindset and in your behaviors.

You can begin ACT therapy in Wilmington, NC with me today by following these 4 simple steps:

Online book for your free and no obligation 15 minute consultation by clicking the button below
Complete the brief questionnaire sent to your email after your booking
Meet with your ACT therapist
Start living your life with less anxiety

I'm Interested in Starting ACT Therapy for Anxiety

Additional ACT Therapy for high achievers in Wilmington, NC

You can learn more about me and my Wilmington, NC counseling practice by clicking here! I offer in-person therapy appointments in my Wilmington, NC office location and online therapy to clients located in Maryland and North Carolina.

I provide counseling for women using ACT therapy Wilmington, NC. I also specialize in anxiety treatment, therapy for imposter syndrome, treatment for perfectionism, and burnout counseling.

Learn more about each of these specialties below and how ACT can be helpful:

Women’s Therapy in Wilmington, NC

Anxiety Treatment in Wilmington, NC

Treatment for Perfectionism in Maryland

Therapy for Imposter Syndrome in Wilmington, NC

Burnout Treatment in Wilmington, NC

To learn more about online ACT therapy keep reading.

Online ACT for Anxiety Therapy in Maryland

and

Online ACT for Anxiety Therapy in North Carolina

Online therapy is a really beneficial resource to have and offer to my clients. It has made therapy more accessible and much easier to work into life. Using ACT therapy for online therapy is great because the concepts, metaphors, and experiential activities can still be completed while in therapy sessions because the therapist and client can see and hear each other.