Psychological Flexibility

Mental health can sometimes feel like a secret code—something only unlocked through years of therapy. Fortunately, that’s not true.

At the end of the day, helpful and effective mental health is about learning one key skill:

Psychological Flexibility

Psychological flexibility means being able to notice what patterns of thought, feeling, and action you tend to use when you’re on autopilot - your default ways of understanding and being in the world. This default has likely emerged as your way of getting your needs met in the past given your unique brain. Much of psychological suffering and mental health challenges come from trying to use our past/default ways of getting our needs met in present moment situations where the default may not be as helpful.

As you learn to notice your default, you can also learn to pause, and choose a response that moves you toward the life you want to build rather than towards your default way of meeting your needs. It doesn’t mean getting rid of your default way of thinking, feeling, and acting—in fact, your default likely reflects your strengths and lived experiences. But sometimes if we only rely on those patterns to get our needs met, they can end up getting in the way of what you truly want or need and we need to learn new ones to help us.

That’s when psychological flexibility becomes so powerful. It helps you relate to your inner world with more clarity and choice, rather than feeling stuck or reactive.

To learn more about how to improve your Psychological Flexibility, head over here.