Let It Pass

Hello everyone,

Happy Fall! The weather certainly feels like autumn, and I’ve been trying to embrace some of the things that make me feel most grounded during this season: going to the farmers market, picking out pumpkins to decorate, and cooking some of my favorite warm dishes. In this month’s newsletter, we’re exploring thought defusion, tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and even a few mental health lessons from football.

All the best,

Mandy

MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-IN
Thought Defusion

Thought or cognitive defusion is a technique from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I often use it in my work because it can be especially helpful for people who struggle with overthinking and distressing thought loops that can leave us feeling stuck in our thoughts.

The basic practice is to step back from your thoughts and shift your attention away from the content of the thoughts and the act of thinking itself. One way we can practice this is through visualization or imagination, picturing your thoughts as objects or words that can come and go without needing to engage with them.

If you’d like to practice, here are a few ways you can try it:

• Picture yourself sitting near a stream, watching your thoughts float past on leaves.

• Imagine lying in a field, watching your thoughts float away on clouds.

• Envision yourself on a train, watching your thoughts pass by along with the scenery.

• Picture yourself at a movie theater, watching your thoughts play out as scenes on the screen.

Paired with the concept of radical acceptance, or noticing what’s happening without judging it, denying it, or criticizing yourself for it, thought defusion can be a helpful skill. With practice, it can help you create a little more space from your thoughts and feel less stuck in them.

MEDIA
Lessons from Football 🏈

As a Ravens and sports fan, there’s nothing quite like watching a game that comes down to the final seconds. This week, the Ravens played the Cowboys in Brazil, and when Tyler Loop made a 56-yard game-winning field goal with one second left, the ending felt like something out of a movie. His celebration with Cristiano Ronaldo’s “Siu” made it even more fun to watch the fans join in.

What stood out to me most, though, was the contrast between this moment and last season, when Loop missed a field goal against the Steelers that ultimately ended the Ravens’ playoff hopes. Watching him come back and make such a high-pressure kick was a pretty amazing reminder of the mental side of sports.

It also reminded me how easy it can be to let one mistake or difficult moment define how we see ourselves. We replay what happened, criticize ourselves, and worry that we’ll make the same mistake again. But resilience isn’t about never making mistakes. It’s about being able to acknowledge what happened, learn from it, and keep moving forward while continuing to trust yourself and your abilities. Here’s to football season!

LISTEN
🎙️Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: What the Critics Get Right (and Wrong) w/ Dr. Ellen Hendriksen

In this episode of the Being Well podcast, Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson speak with clinical psychologist Dr. Ellen Hendriksen about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), its history, and why it sometimes gets a bad rap. They also discuss how to apply a CBT toolkit and connect it to Dr. Hendriksen’s work with self-criticism, perfectionism, procrastination, and social anxiety. Listen here.

Today’s Affirmation

RESOURCES
Books

• How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists by Dr. Ellen Hendriksen

If you're in Maryland or DC and looking to discuss therapy options, you can find me at Mindful Therapy Collective.

Disclaimer: This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only and it is not a replacement for individualized therapy.