Identify one external situation (e.g., family, work, health, relationship) in which you think developing greater
acceptance might be helpful. Consider situations that can’t be easily changed or solved. Alternatively, write
down some internal experiences (thoughts or moods) that recur often and negatively aect your mood.
Try out one or more of the following paths to acceptance. It is not necessary to try each path for each situation,
thought, or mood. Over time, as you practice acceptance, you might want to try each of these approaches at
least once to see if they are helpful.
1. Observe your thoughts and moods (about the situation you have written down above) without judging, crit-
icizing, or trying to change them. Just watch them as they occur. Be curious rather than critical. Try to make
these observations for a few minutes each day for a week. This is much more dicult than it may appear. It is
OK to notice if you become frustrated, distracted, bored, or judgmental. When you notice these things, just
gently turn your attention back to the original thoughts and moods that you are observing.
2. Think about the bigger picture. What are the benets of accepting this rather than being distressed? Are
you focusing on only the negative parts of this experience and not recognizing other dimensions? Are there
aspects to the situation that counterbalance the negative parts? If you can accept the parts that distress you,
will you be able to enjoy or appreciate the rest of your experience more easily?
3. Sometimes paying too much attention to our distress prevents us from reaching our goals or living accord-
ing to values that are important to us.
a. In this situation, is there some value or goal that is more important and meaningful to you than your
distress? If so, write that value or goal here:
b. Think about how important that value or goal is for you.
c. How can you use
Mind Over Mood
skills to help you manage your distressing situation, thought, or mood,
so you can approach or reach your values or goals?
d. Can you move in the direction of your values and goals while accepting the distress that you are experi-
encing?
Whether you followed the rst, second, or third path to acceptance, write down what you have learned from
this exercise:
From
Mind Over Mood, Second Edition.
Copyright 2016 by Dennis Greenberger and Christine A. Padesky. Purchasers of this book can
photocopy and/or download additional copies of this worksheet (see the box at the end of the table of contents).
