Create Space

Goal

To be able to create space between yourself and your thoughts.

Labeling Your Thoughts (pp. 75-76)

One approach that can help you catch your thoughts, feelings, memories, and bodily sensations as you experience them is to label them for what they are. Call out loud exactly what it is you are doing rather than just thinking the thought. When you apply your labels, they should take the following form:

• I am having the thought that ... (describe your thought)
• I am having the feeling of ... (describe your feeling)
• I am having the memory of ... (describe your memory)
• I am feeling the bodily sensations of ... (describe the nature and location of your sensations)
• I am noticing the tendency to ... (describe your behavioral urge or predisposition)

Creating Space

You can create space between yourself and your thoughts in a lot of different ways. Watch the following video called Handling Stressful Thoughts: ACT Leaves on a Stream Exercise to learn one method:

Reflection (Optional)

Write your thoughts down to better understand this concept.