Book Notes: Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven C. Hayes

This book is about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (or ACT, pronounced like the word act), which is a form of psychotherapy aimed at helping people deal with anxiety, depression, and other psychological suffering. The techniques are simple and can be applied by oneself or with the help of a therapist.

How do we navigate the complexity of reality?

Life is unbelievably complex. When people talk about ‘living well’ or ‘living a good life,’ what they’re essentially talking about is the ability to effectively navigate this complexity. One approach many people take to navigating life’s complexity is to adopt one overarching principle or pattern of behavior and apply it to all situations. The problem is that these types of narrow approaches only work up to a certain point.