Coming back to the body and the present moment · worksheet 19
The more you fight a sensation of anxiety, the more space it takes up. This exercise suggests the opposite: looking at it with curiosity and letting it be there while it passes.
Before you start
- What it is for: To welcome a sensation of anxiety instead of fighting it, so that it takes up less space.
- 3 to 10 minutes, when you notice an uncomfortable sensation (knot, tightness, heat, trembling).
- The aim is not for the sensation to disappear: sometimes it stays. The aim is to stop fighting it.
- If the sensation frightens you a lot or has a medical cause that hasn’t been checked, talk to your doctor first.
Prefer paper? Download the PDF to print (with a page for psychologists).
What to do with your results
Look above all at the “struggle” before and after, not at how intense the sensation is. If you are fighting less, the exercise is working, even if the sensation is still there.
If you find it hard
If you are waiting for the sensation to go, it is still a struggle: go back to curious observation. Accepting doesn’t mean you like what you feel.
For psychologists
The PDF also includes a page for the psychologist: how to run the exercise in session, points to watch and scientific references. You are free to use it with your clients.
For psychologists: aim, audience and duration
Help the person observe a sensation of anxiety with curiosity, breathe around it and give it space, to reduce the struggle that amplifies it.
Physical anxiety (knot in the stomach, tight throat, chest tightness), avoidance of emotions. Adults and adolescents. Duration: 5-10 min in session; 3-5 min on your own.
References
Harris, R. (2019). ACT Made Simple: An Easy-to-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (2nd ed.). New Harbinger.
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D. & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change (2nd ed.). Guilford.
These worksheets do not replace therapy. If you are in distress or having suicidal thoughts, call your local emergency number (112 in Europe; 3114 in France, free, 24/7).
Free worksheet for non-commercial use: you may share it with credit to the author, without modifying it (Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence).
