Why Psychological Flexibility is the Key to Good Health

—stellalevi—Getty ImagesFew would argue with the statement that there are a lot of challenges in the world, particularly at this current moment. While many demands are predictable, necessitating responsibility and hard work, some catch us off guard. Our schools and jobs require us to complete assignments on a timely basis. We need to go to the grocery store to buy and prepare food. There are bills and taxes to pay and plans we need to make for our financial future. But there are also rising gas prices, global pandemics, and major incidents related to climate change. What we need to cope effectively, and even soar, amidst all of these stressors is psychological flexibility, or our willingness and ability to be agile in the ways we think, feel, and respond to stress.While research on psychological flexibility has been around since the 1960s, scientific investigation and clinical promotion has skyrocketed with what is called the third wave of cognitive-behavioral therapy—a move in clinical interventions that assist people in having a more mindful and accepting approach to thoughts and feelings rather than trying to challenge and change them.Decades of research indicate that psychological flexibility plays an important role in buffering the negative effects of stress and a broad range of mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. Psychological flexibility has been shown to have beneficial effects in a number of distinct populations from health care professionals, and police officers, to children with juvenile arthritis and their parents, and trauma-exposed veterans.When challenges happen, both large…

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