Self-as-Context

Self-as-context, from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), is the idea that there is some mental flexibility within each of us to take the observer’s stance toward our thoughts and feelings. This means freeing ourselves from rigid rules, judgments and self-evaluations. In other words, you know yourself best and are therefore in the best position to observe. BUT, this takes some practice. So let’s try a couple of exercises.

Exercise 1 - Noticing your thoughts as thoughts

The next time you are thinking about something over and over again, ask yourself the following questions: “Am I the thoughts that are going through my head?” Or “Am I the one who is aware and listening to these thoughts going through my head?” This can help briefly build distance between ourselves and our thoughts and build our cognitive flexibility. If you can notice the thought, you can’t be the thought!

Exercise 2 - Emotions as weather

Visualize yourself standing on a mountaintop (or some other place in nature that feels recognizable to you). Picture your emotions as weather patterns moving in and out - clouds, rain, storms, thunder, sun, etc. Our emotions pass through us but they do not define who we are. If you reflect on your day using this visualization, can you identify what feelings have come up for you and what weather patterns you associate those feelings with?

Exercise 3 - The gallery of selves

Picture your life as an art gallery of selves that you are walking through. As you walk, you notice portraits that capture memorable mistakes and also achievements, moments of joy and deep connections with others. What do you notice about the pictures in the frames? What style are they in? What do you look like/where are you located in these pictures? What is it like to view the frames as an observer in a gallery rather than be inside of them? What is lost when we only think about or experience one single portrait in this gallery?

Self-as-Context is a tricky concept, and one that requires practice - taking the role of observer is not a skill that we are born with. Hopefully, these exercises can help you begin to view your thoughts and feelings from the position of the wise observer that you are, which can cultivate agency and choice in your life as you assess what to do with the thoughts and feelings that you experience.

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Jamie Cohen, LMHC, earned her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley University. She considers herself a career-changer with a little over a decade of previous experiences in startup, agency, corporate and nonprofit work environments, so she understands many of the stressors that come with balancing personal and professional expectations and identities.

Jamie’s primary interests include working with folks on grief, loss, life transitions (graduation, retirement, cross-country moves, changing jobs, etc.), substance use, anxiety and interpersonal relationships. She also enjoys working with those who have visible and/or invisible disabilities.

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