ACT|CBT: Sunglasses Letter And Affirm (Never Mind Your Mind)

This session is grounded in Contextual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), an evolution of traditional CBT that incorporates mindfulness and psychological flexibility. A key approach within this framework is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps us relate to our thoughts more openly and adaptively.

Through the Letter to My Mind, we explore how to acknowledge the mental lenses that shape our perception without allowing them to define us. This reflective process supports greater psychological flexibility, helping us consciously shape a more empowering outlook. The session concludes with a grounding affirmation, reinforcing our ability to hold our thoughts lightly as we move forward with clarity and intention.

Transcript

This is part of a body of work called Never Mind Your Mind.

Dear Mind,

As I sit in this cafe,

I am writing this letter to you and for me.

I'll admit,

There was a time when I despised you.

Those murky tinted lenses that you offer me.

Full of doom,

Despair,

Frustration,

Paranoia and more.

I felt trapped,

Unable to see beyond the dark colours you painted my world with.

But I am coming to understand something important.

Despising you only kept me stuck.

Fueling the very negative energy I wished to escape.

It's like clinging to those dark lenses,

Letting them define me and putting more dark lenses on top.

This just doesn't make sense anymore.

The helpful thoughts,

Those bright,

Uplifting lenses that bring joy and clarity.

I acknowledge them and choose to give them energy.

The unhelpful thoughts,

The darker,

Greyer,

Heavier lenses that weigh me down.

I see them too.

But I gently refrain from feeding them.

They serve as a reminder of who I am not.

This awareness empowers me.

This awareness inspires me.

It inspires me to reconnect with the simple things.

The little moments that bring life meaning.

Whether it's spending time with loved ones.

Feeling the warmth of an animal's affection.

Or being in flow with something that nurtures me.

I get to choose where I place my focus.

And I know,

Some days will be better than others.

Some days the tinted glasses may seem harder to take off.

But I also know that this is part of being human.

And I'm learning to accept this with compassion.

Thank you for being there.

For doing what you do.

Thank you for giving me this choice.

The choice to see beyond the lenses you present.

The choice for me to choose my own lens.

One that serves me.

To embrace what matters most.

And to stay connected with the beauty in this life.

Yours sincerely,

With compassion and gratitude,

From me.

My consciousness is evolving every single time I notice an unhelpful thought and hold it lightly.

May my consciousness continue to evolve.

This appreciation helps me and heals me.

Thoughts act as filters,

They tint what I see.

But I choose the lenses that set myself free.

Thoughts act as filters,

They tint what I see.

But I choose the lenses that set myself free.

Thoughts act as filters,

They tint what I see.

But I choose the lenses that set myself free.

Thoughts act as filters,

They tint what I see.

But I choose the lenses that set myself free.