A Liberated Mind: The essential guide to ACT

7. Applying Perspective-Taking to Acceptance

Give Your Mind a Name and Listen to It Politely

We do generate feelings and actions that go in the exact opposite direction of our true feelings if those are too hard to admit, a defense mechanism called reaction formation.

2. A Caring Exercise

We can also build a number of practices for cultivating attention to the present into our life routines.

I Am/I Am Not

The Presence pivot redirects our yearning for orientation toward mindful focus on the here and now. The

2. Take perspective. Spend another moment to see if you can put yourself in your child’s shoes with a sense of empathy and compassion. We tend to treat our children’s behavior as we would a math problem. Instead, look at your children as you might a beautifully told story—with an attitude of appreciation. You and your children are about to write the n

Appreciate What Your Mind Is Trying to Do

We also found that a huge boost of motivation to accept discomfort comes from beginning to see how we’ve been harming ourselves by avoidance.