ACT Exercise: Notice and Allow

This is a simple noticing exercise. The goal is to slow down, notice what’s happening in your mind and body, and allow this moment to unfold with less struggle. The goal is not to reduce anxiety, feel calm, or get rid of difficult thoughts or feelings. However, you may notice that by struggling less, painful thoughts and feelings become a little easier to carry.

1. Sit in a comfortable place, close your eyes, and take three or four slow breaths. Breathe in a little deeper than normal and focus on breathing all the way out. Pause briefly between breaths. Let your stomach gently push outward as you breathe in.

2. Make a fist with both hands and squeeze as hard as you can. While squeezing, notice what your thumbs feel like. Pause for a moment, then notice your index fingers, middle fingers, ring fingers, and pinkies.

3. Release your fists and relax your hands and arms. Can you feel your hands tingling? Do they feel warmer as the blood rushes in? With your hands relaxed, again notice what your thumbs feel like, then your index fingers, middle fingers, ring fingers, and pinkies.

4. Shift your attention from your hands to your thoughts, emotions, and body. Notice what’s showing up, name it, and allow it. Allowing these feelings and thoughts doesn’t mean you like them; it simply means you’re letting go of the struggle against them. You might say things like:

   • “I notice anxiety is here, and I allow it.”

   • “I notice sadness is here, and I allow it.”

   • “I notice the thought that mindfulness doesn’t work for me, and I allow it.”

   • “I notice pain in my back, and I allow it.”

   • “I notice numbness, and I allow it.”

   • “I notice nothing, and I allow it.”

5. Notice that you’re noticing. Your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations aren’t noticing themselves. There’s a person in there, sharing a body with thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Notice that you can observe all of these, and that you can choose to allow them to be just as they are, for now.

6. Take three more breaths and focus on breathing all the air out of your lungs.

7. Repeat these steps until you feel a bit more grounded.