Flexible Thinking vs Rigid Thinking
“Psychological flexibility refers to an individual’s ability to cope with, accept and adjust to difficult situations… (being able to) manage themselves in the uncertain, unpredictable world around them, where novelty and change are the norm rather than the exception.”
(**Kashdan & Rottenberg, 2010)
There’s no question we’re living in an ‘uncertain and unpredictable’ world these days. Recognizing and understanding better our own thinking styles - and how to shift where needed - can be informative to how well we’re able to relate to and deal with the world around us. The framework of ‘flexible vs rigid’ thinking can help to conceptualize how we’re viewing life, relationships, our problems and ways to move forward (or stay stagnant). Most often, shifting toward flexible thinking is beneficial and helps to create more effective coping, improved ability to feel connected to others, regulation of anxiety during times of change and resilience when challenges arise. Flexible thinking can also be thought of as a “growth mindset” rather than a “fixed (or stuck) mindset”.
Some ways to shift towards flexible/growth oriented thinking are:
-Identifying where/when to focus… and where/when to let go or release in the moment.
-Recognize when your current behaviors or actions aren’t helpful… and open your mind to shifting them.
-Realizing when we might be wrong … and release or get curious about the need to be ‘right’ (this is a really hard one!)
-Determine how you can create more balance between different areas of your life (is the amount of time given to family, work, parenting, volunteering, etc feeling balanced or out of proportion?)
-Keep your goals despite encountering setbacks here and there... (stay focused on our goals, write them down, journal them, share with others you trust)
-Try to find creative or new ways of facing challenges (even if they are ‘out of the box’ for you) … without compromising your personal values.
-’Perspective Hop’… note to yourself quickly that you’re only seeing one side of things and challenge yourself to see a different perspective.
-See beyond assumptions… remember those cognitive distortions discussed in another post and recognize when they show up; find ways to shift them.
Flexible thinking is also somewhat synonymous with ‘Psychological Flexibility’ as we call it in therapy. ACT therapy (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) specifically focuses on PF as a core foundational approach. Some traits of psychological flexibility and inflexibility are below.
ACT therapy approaches include the following tasks to help build psychological flexibility:
Acceptance - accepting each moment as it is… this does NOT mean agreeing with each moment or ‘caving in’; it simply means being open to experience the moment right then as it - so that you are able to shift into ‘observer mode’ and respond rather than react.
Defusion - ‘fusion’ is when we overly attach to our thoughts - we over-identify and get attached to them assuming they are fact; thoughts are just thoughts and not necessarily facts; techniques like ‘thought distancing’ (see below) and ‘thought records’ can help to defuse.
Contact With the Present Moment - simply put… this is ‘mindfulness’; recognize if you seem to be mentally stuck in the past or the future and bring your attention back to the present moment.
Self as Context - remove yourself from the ‘content’ of your thoughts, the emotions, the body sensations … and shift out to the ‘context’; realize that you aren’t the content of your thoughts, that you are bigger than your thoughts and move your mind outward into ‘observer mode’.
Values - this refers to your ‘personal values’ (not necessarily ascribed moral values… although some may be the same); connect to what you personally value (peace, calmness, love, adventure, curiosity, forgiveness, etc); recalling what we value in a given moment helps guide to us a next action that fits where we want/hope to be.
Committed Action - when we’re able to connect with our values, we can then set goals more aligned with where we hope to be and commit to values directed action (ie ‘ do I want to be stuck being mad all day because the morning didn’t go my way… or do I value turning the day around getting on with productivity/peace/adventure I was planning?)
*”Thought Distancing” strategies in ACT Therapy:
-Remember a thought is just a thought.
-Note that thoughts don’t last forever.
-When a thought arises, shift the internal dialogue from “I am ___” to: “I’m having the thought that ____”, then “I can see myself having the thought that ____”; “I can see that the color of that thought is _____”
Best, Jenn
*The information presented in this blog is intended for general knowledge and use only. It should not take the place of medical, clinical advice or licensed therapy. To find a licensed practitioner in your area, the Psychology Today Directory is an excellent resource.
**Kashdan, T. B., & Rottenberg, J. (2010). Psychological flexibility as a fundamental aspect of health. Clinical psychology review, 30(7), 865–878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.001.