The Caring Counselor

I finally finished an audibook! If you’re looking for a good listen on day-to-day acceptance, I do highly recommend Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Dr. Steven Hayes. Towards the end, I loved one concept that I wanted to share.

It’s called “just cause.” The whole premise is to take a menial task and works towards it. For instance, one week you tell yourself, “I’m not drinking any soda this week.” It isn’t something that has a ton of bearing on your life whether you do it or not. So, for that week, you simply replace soda. Throw in some substitutions like juice or Gatorade, and do your best to stay away from it. After a week, see where you are. The following week, you can build off of that goal or pick something else totally irrelevant.

It sounds silly, right? Why even put the effort in? Do it “just cause.”

–Build up your self-efficacy. This is a bit different than self-esteem. Self-efficacy deals with your belief in yourself to carry through on your goals.

–No pressure. You’re doing it for the sake of doing it. Whatever the task it shouldn’t carry much weight. It is low risk and high reward. This should alleviate feeling overwhelmed.

–Momentum. This shouldn’t be a one- time thing. It should be one small goal followed by another. Each step is a step forward. It might be just what you need to get you going.

– The Caring Counselor