Acceptance and Commitment Technique.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy was first introduced in the 1980s by psychologist Steven C. Hayes which stems from behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. This is a technique that helps an individual deal with past traumas, negative thoughts and anxiety.

Have you ever been in a position where you needed to make a decision but you kept avoiding making the decision because you get distracted so first or you are worried of the outcome of the decision you make. Maybe sometimes you find yourself surfing through the internet when you were meant to be doing something important that will enable you to reach your goals. Maybe you find yourself running away from situations that need your presence. Maybe you feel nervous about making a certain speech or chairing a certain meeting or presenting a certain idea to stake holders. ACT helps you deal with it.

How is ACT used? I will explain in a laymans language when you are in that position of indecisiveness you have to ask yourself what are my fears? This Five Questions will help you snap back into reality. What are the five things do I see? It could be a bright colour of a passing vehicle, the color of you boardroom, the phone you are holding, maybe the computer you are using to present your ideas. Be realistic and use your sight to scrutinize your surrounding. What are the four things do I hear? This could be your anxious heartbeat, the sound of the passing vehicles, the sound of a ticking clock, it could be this sound of a passing train or aeroplane it will not only help you get into your surrounding but it help you know where you really are and what you are supposed to do and enable you to take the necessary action. What the three things do you smell? This maybe the beautiful cologne in your body, the smell of meals from the nearest restaurant near you, the smell of the people around this help you revive your thoughts which had drifted away. What are the two things you can touch? Just reach around your surround and touch two things and lastly what is that emotion do you feel? It could be a happy, sad, nervous, grateful. Then ask yourself what worse could happen if I made the decision, what positive outcome could happen then you will know your anxiety and nervousness are all for nothing.

ACT Technique is used in different areas such as managing anxiety, helping an individual to be in the here and now, it help in dealing with negative thoughts, it helps individual to deal with depressive episodes and it also helps in decision making and productivity.