From the Guidelines
To increase psychological flexibility, practice mindfulness meditation daily for 10-15 minutes, engage in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) techniques, and regularly challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone, as recommended by recent studies 1.
Key Strategies
- Start by identifying your core values and aligning your actions with them, while accepting uncomfortable thoughts and feelings without trying to control them.
- When difficult emotions arise, practice the "notice and name" technique by acknowledging them without judgment.
- Incorporate cognitive defusion exercises like repeating a troubling thought until it loses meaning or visualizing thoughts as leaves floating down a stream.
- Develop present-moment awareness by fully engaging in daily activities without distraction.
- Set small, progressive challenges that push your boundaries, such as trying new experiences or expressing vulnerability.
Benefits of Psychological Flexibility
- Improves with consistent practice because it strengthens neural pathways associated with adaptive responses to stress and uncertainty.
- Helps you respond more effectively to life's challenges by creating distance between you and your thoughts, allowing you to act based on your values rather than automatic reactions to discomfort.
- Supported by various studies, including those on mindfulness-based interventions and positive psychological interventions 1.
Evidence-Based Recommendations
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy have been shown to improve psychological well-being and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression 1.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a promising approach to increasing psychological flexibility, and has been shown to be effective in reducing suffering and improving quality of life 1.
- Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is also a effective approach to increasing psychological flexibility, and has been shown to improve symptoms of anxiety and depression 1.
From the Research
Strategies to Increase Psychological Flexibility
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a primary approach to increase psychological flexibility, aiming to help individuals live a more fulfilling and meaningful life 2, 3
- ACT-based interventions can be provided as individual, group, or self-help formats, and can be combined with other approaches like behavioral activation 3
- Increasing psychological flexibility is associated with a decrease in symptomatology, an increase in quality of life, and an improvement in general level of functioning 2
- Psychological flexibility can be developed through mindfulness and acceptance, as well as commitment and behavior change processes 3
- Self-help interventions based on ACT can also increase psychological flexibility, leading to decreases in stress and increases in well-being 4
Mechanisms of Psychological Flexibility
- Psychological flexibility partially mediates the relationship between psychotic symptom severity and depression in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia 5
- Psychological flexibility can weaken the impact of psychotic symptom severity on depression 5
- Mental health mediates the effect of psychological flexibility on life satisfaction, highlighting the importance of psychological flexibility for mental health and life satisfaction 6
Applications of Psychological Flexibility
- Psychological flexibility is a transdiagnostic process variable of successful psychotherapy, applicable to various mental health conditions 2
- Interventions aimed at improving psychological flexibility may be beneficial in reducing depressive symptoms in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia 5
- Psychological flexibility can be used as a goal for evaluation and intervention in psychiatric nursing practice 5