ACT exercises and worksheets

You can use the following acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) exercises and worksheets to develop psychological flexibility and live in alignment with your principles.

Cognitive defusion exercises

Goal: Help separate from unhelpful thoughts so they have less control over your behavior.

Exercise: “Leaves on a stream” visualization

Worksheet:

- Write down an intrusive or distressing thought.
- Close your eyes and visualize a gentle stream with leaves floating on the water.
- Imagine placing each thought onto a leaf and watching it float away.
- Repeat with other pessimistic notions without trying to change or stop them.

Purpose: Teaches that thoughts come and go, and we don’t have to get stuck in them.

Acceptance exercises

Goal: Increase willingness to experience difficult emotions instead of resisting them.

Exercise: “Expansion exercise”

Worksheet:

- Pen down an emotion you have been struggling with (anxiety, sadness).
- Notice where you feel it in your body (chest tightness, stomach tension).
- Breathe into the sensation and imagine making space for it.
- Describe what it feels like without judging it.

Purpose: Pushes the acceptance of emotions rather than suppression.

Present moment awareness (mindfulness) exercises

Goal: Aids staying grounded in the present rather than getting lost in thoughts.

Exercise: “Five senses grounding”

Worksheet:

- List:
  - 5 things you can see.
  - 4 things you can touch.
  - 3 things you can hear.
  - 2 things you can smell.
  - 1 thing you can taste.

Purpose: Bringing awareness to the present moment and lowering rumination.

Self-as-context exercises

Goal: To recognize that you are not your thoughts or emotions.

Exercise: “Observing your thoughts”

Worksheet:

- Write down a negative thought you often have about yourself.
- Ask yourself:

- - “If this thought were a radio station, what would it be called?”
  - “If this thought were a character in a movie, what kind of character would it be?”
  - “What happens when I take a step back and just notice this thought instead of believing it?”

Purpose: Detaching from thoughts and seeing them as external, not part of your identity.

Values clarification exercises

Goal: Identify core personal values to guide behavior.

Exercise: “The 80th birthday speech”

Worksheet:

- Imagine you are at your 80th birthday party, and someone gives a speech about your life.
- Write down what you hope they say about you.
- Identify what values those statements reflect. For example, kindness, perseverance, and honesty.
- Ask yourself: “Am I currently living in alignment with these values?”

Purpose: Clarifies principles and motivates purposeful action.

Committed action exercises

Goal: Promote action based on importance, despite discomfort.

Exercise: “The one small step”

Worksheet:

- Identify a meaningful goal based on your principles.
- Break it down into the smallest possible step you can take today.
- Write:
  - “If discomfort arises, I will remind myself that this action sides with my values.”
- After completing the step, reflect:
  - “What did I learn from taking this action?”

Purpose: Helps build momentum and action, even when fear or discomfort is present.

“Thank your mind” exercise (cognitive defusion for negative thoughts)

Goal: Reduce the impact of negative self-talk by treating thoughts as separate from reality.

Worksheet:

- Write down a negative belief you often experience (“I am worthless”).
- Instead of treating the thought as an absolute truth, say:
  - “Thank you, mind, for that thought.”
  - “I notice I am having the thought that…”
- Repeat the thought out loud in a silly voice or sing it to the tune of “Happy Birthday.”
- Reflect: Did the thought lose some of its power?

Purpose: detaching from self-critical thoughts rather than engaging in them.

“The struggle switch” exercise (acceptance of emotions)

Goal: Reduce the emotional struggle that fuels depression.

Worksheet:

- Discover a feeling you have been trying to avoid, like sadness or loneliness.
- Describe what happens when you fight it (does it get stronger, persist, or drain energy?).
- Imagine a light switch labeled “struggle.”
- Visualize what would happen if you turned the struggle switch off. Allow the emotion to just “be” without trying to change it.
- Commit to allowing emotions to exist without resisting them.

Purpose: Lowering emotional resistance and exhaustion.

“What would my best friend say?” (self-compassion exercise)

Goal: Cultivate self-compassion to counter depressive self-judgment.

Worksheet:

- Pen down a negative thought you have about yourself, like “I am not good enough”.
- Imagine a friend feeling this way. What would you say to them?
- Write down your response as if comforting a friend.
- Now, read your response to yourself.

Purpose: Shifts self-talk from critical to supportive, reducing depressive self-judgment.

“The life compass” (values clarification for motivation)

Goal: Reconnect with your values and find direction.

Worksheet:

- Draw a compass with four quadrants labeled:
  - Relationships.
  - Personal growth.
  - Health and well-being.
  - Work and contribution.
- Write down what truly matters to you in each area.
- Reflect:
  - Are you currently living according to these principles?
  - What small step could you take today to move closer to one value?

Purpose: Assists individuals in regaining a sense of purpose and motivation.

“The 5-minute activation challenge” (committed action for behavioral activation)

Goal: Overcome inaction and take small steps toward positive change.

Worksheet:

- Choose an activity you used to enjoy or value (taking a walk, painting, calling a friend).
- Set a timer for 5 minutes. Commit to engaging in the activity for this short time, no matter how you feel.
- After 5 minutes, reflect:
  - Did it shift your mood, even slightly?
  - Would you like to continue for another 5 minutes?

Purpose: Helps break the cycle of inaction and re-engage with life.

“My thoughts are not facts” (defusion from depressive thinking)

Goal: Ease belief in automatic negative thoughts.

Worksheet:

- Write down a negative thought you frequently have (“I will always be alone”).
- Ask yourself:
  - “What evidence supports this thought?”
  - “What proof contradicts this thought?”
  - “If a friend had this thought, what would I say to them?”
- Reframe the thought into a more balanced statement (“Right now, I feel alone, but I have had meaningful connections before and can build them again”).

Purpose: Breaking depressive belief patterns.

“Dropping the anchor” (mindfulness for emotional grounding)

Goal: Decrease crushing and pessimistic thoughts by staying present.

Worksheet:

- When overwhelmed, pause and concentrate on your breath for a few seconds.
- Acknowledge thoughts and feelings without judgment.
- Come back to your physical environment:
  - Press your feet firmly on the ground.
  - Notice your surroundings.
- Take action toward a small value-aligned step (making tea, stretching).

Purpose: Helps ground oneself in the present instead of getting lost in antagonistic thoughts.

“If my depression were a character” (self-as-context perspective-taking)

Goal: Externalize depression to gain perspective.

Worksheet:

- Imagine your depression as a character and describe it.
  - What does it look like?
  - How does it talk?
  - What are its favorite phrases?
- Give this character a name (“the critic” or “the cloud”).
- The next time it appears, recognize it:
  - “Oh, here comes ‘the judge’ telling me I’m worthless again.”

Purpose: To separate oneself from depression, reducing its grip.

Reflection section

A reflection section after these tasks can also be helpful. Possible reflections could be: “What insights did you gain from these exercises?”, “Which ones resonated with you the most?”, “How can you integrate them into your daily life?”