The short answer: acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) doesn’t try to make anxiety disappear. Instead, it helps you make room for anxious thoughts and feelings, so they have less control over what you do, and you can keep moving towards what matters to you. In counselling, that means practical skills you can use in everyday moments.
New to ACT? Start with What is acceptance and commitment therapy? or read about the six core processes of ACT. This article focuses on how ACT is used for anxiety and stress.
Why fighting anxiety can keep it going
When anxiety shows up, the natural reaction is to fight it, avoid it or try to think your way out of it. That can bring short-term relief, but it often makes life smaller: skipping the event, putting off the phone call, staying up late replaying conversations. Over time, avoiding the feeling can become as much of a problem as the feeling itself.
ACT takes a different angle. Rather than asking “how do I get rid of this feeling?”, it asks “how can I carry this feeling and still do what matters?”
How ACT is used in counselling for anxiety and stress
Below are some of the main ACT skills, with everyday examples. These are general illustrations, not client stories.
1. Noticing thoughts without getting hooked
Anxious thoughts can feel like facts: “I’m going to embarrass myself.” ACT teaches you to step back and notice them as thoughts. A simple version is adding “I’m having the thought that…” in front of them.
Everyday example: before a work meeting, “I’m going to stuff this up” becomes “I’m having the thought that I’m going to stuff this up.” The thought is still there, but it has less grip.
2. Making room for uncomfortable feelings
Instead of bracing against a racing heart or tight chest, you practise noticing the sensation, breathing into it and letting it be there while you carry on.
Everyday example: feeling your heart pound in the supermarket queue, and choosing to stay and notice it rather than leaving your trolley.
3. Coming back to the present
Stress pulls attention into “what if” and “what went wrong”. Short grounding practices, like noticing five things you can see or feeling your feet on the floor, help you return to what’s happening now.
Everyday example: lying awake at 2am replaying the day, and gently bringing your attention back to your breathing and the feel of the bed.
4. Getting clear on your values
Values are what matters to you: being a present parent, a reliable friend, looking after your health. In counselling we spend time clarifying these, because they become the reason to face anxiety rather than avoid it.
Everyday example: going to your child’s school event even though crowds make you anxious, because being there for them matters to you.
5. Taking small, committed steps
ACT turns values into action, starting small. Each step is chosen on purpose, even if anxiety comes along for the ride.
Everyday example: making the phone call you’ve been putting off, with a plan for what you’ll say and what you’ll do afterwards to look after yourself.
What the research says
ACT has a growing research base. A 2022 meta-analysis of 48 randomised controlled trials (3,292 participants) found that group ACT may be effective for anxiety and depressive symptoms in adults (Journal of Affective Disorders, 2022). As with any therapy, results vary from person to person, and the right approach depends on you.
ACT alongside other approaches
ACT is one of several approaches used in counselling at Bloom, alongside others such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and solution-focused therapy. For some people, hypnotherapy for anxiety can also be combined with counselling. We’ll work out together what suits you.
Getting started
Sessions are available in person in Yarrabilba, near Logan, Jimboomba and Beenleigh, or online anywhere in Australia. No referral is needed. Book a session or call 0451 119 353.
If you’re in crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24/7), or 000 if life is in danger.
