What is Psychological Flexibility and Why is it Important?

People are under the impression that the opposite of depression is happiness. However, according to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the opposite of depression is psychological flexibility. This refers to continuously living according to your values and pursuing meaningful goals – even when difficulties arise that throw you off track.

Riding Out the Storm

Last week, I went Stand-Up Paddleboarding for the first time. I set out on a beautiful clean, calm day and began exploring Grand Lake with my daughter, sticking to the area that we were told was “safe.”

As we started to head back to the dock, a storm suddenly blew in. The wind picked up, the waves grew larger and more intense and despite my best efforts, the current pushed us into an Eddy, far from the dock. We waited a bit to gather some strength, then headed straight out into the current. But the storm persisted in pushing us away from the direction we needed to go.

At that moment, a pontoon boat with a family came by and cheered us on, saying, “you got this” as we tried to remain steady against the wind and current. I decided to abandon my struggle and asked for help. One of the kids on the boat threw us a rope and towed us for a bit until we could let go and the current drifted us back to the dock.

Changing course or asking for help in a storm but still getting to where you want to go, is psychological flexibility. Many of us live our lives with a plan in mind of how we want and expect things to go. The pandemic is a type of worldwide storm that has forced many of us to reckon with the sense of control we once had over our lives.

As things get cancelled, rescheduled, cancelled and then put on Zoom or abandoned all together, we may feel sad, anxious, frustrated, angry, disappointed, and depressed.

Accepting a Change of Course 

It can be incredibly uncomfortable to have things go differently than we expect yet we can choose how we respond to this challenge. If we are able to be flexible in our thinking, feeling and behavior, we can find new ways to engage in our relationships, work and daily living.

When we feel out of control or that we’ve lost control, we can take it back by approaching changes with flexibility. We can respond by changing course with grace.

And, sometimes, we can ask for help so we can get back on track, pursuing our goals, despite a storm.

For more information on how to develop the skill of Psychological Flexibility through ACT, please contact us.

— Antonia