What happens when you get better and better at playing a video game? Embedded in the answer to that question is a useful way to talk about how you interact with the constant information your mind and body generates. This ability to navigate a constant flow of information is a key component of the skill of Psychological Flexibility–and it’s good for your mental health.
When you play a video game enough, something happens in the interaction between you and the information the game throws at you. The information on the screen doesn’t get simpler or change in any substantive way, what changes is how you interact and relate with that information.
Related Article: (VIDEO) Explaining Psychological Flexibility: The Bus Metaphor
You learn when to pay attention to the map, or when to pay attention to your life meter, or when to pay attention to an immediate threat right in front of you. You know when to let some stuff go, and where to focus your attention and intention. The same can be true for how we respond to the info-rich and often very busy internal world that our mind generates; for how we respond to what our brains put up on our metaphorical screens.
This is a significant aspect of the skill of Psychological Flexibility. It’s a primary goal in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), and emphasizes:
- changing the way we interact with and relate to our internal world (thoughts and feelings),
- freeing up energy previously spent on avoiding, struggling against, or reflexively reacting to these internal experiences,
- and directing that energy, in committed action, toward what we value and what matters to us.
But this is challenging, as brains and bodies are quite good at providing massive amounts of data, constantly. And it’s easy for us to get ‘hooked’ by this, or entangled in it in unhelpful ways.
Also, Psychological Flexibility doesn’t mean we somehow magically erase any unwanted thoughts and feelings, instead it increases our ability to direct our focus to what’s workable in all that information, and then to what matters most to us in the moment.
Practicing skills to increase psychological flexibility can be helpful to anybody, since our default way of interacting with our internal worlds is quite automatic, reflexive, and instinctive. It’s especially helpful to people who have higher levels of distress in the form of things like depressed mood, or very active, anxious thoughts, among other mental health concerns.
If this sounds intriguing to you, or potentially helpful, check out our other videos and articles about Psychological Flexibility and mindfulness. You are welcome to email us with any questions you might have, or inquire about our therapy services. We’re happy to help, or point you in the direction of other resources.
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