Planning for Success

How to be successful with this program: Plan for obstacles and setbacks!

• Starting a course of ACT for pain is an achievement to be proud of. However, maintaining your engagement with the program and regularly practicing the exercises takes sustained commitment and it’s likely that you will face obstacles or setbacks along the way.
• Obstacles and setbacks may come from within yourself, for example your thoughts, feelings, or physical experiences. They may also come from the outside, for example demands on your time from others. This is normal! In fact, it’s so likely that obstacles or setbacks will arise during your ACT journey that it’s worth thinking about them up front and having action plans in place to deal with them.

Common obstacles or reasons for a setback include:

• Not feeling like you have enough time
• Lacking motivation
• Having difficulty with, or not enjoying some of the exercises
• Lacking confidence to complete the exercises or feeling like you’re not doing them ‘right’
• Feeling like it just won’t work for you
• A bout of illness
• Feeling stressed
• Taking a holiday
• Boredom with the program
• Disappointment with progress
• Feeling like the program won’t work or is unrealistic

When learning about the program, did any of these potential obstacles spring to mind? Can you think of any other potential obstacles that you may face? It can be helpful to make a note of these as they can be addressed by troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting is a process that involves:

• Identifying a potential obstacle or setback
• Thinking about possible solutions and the most appropriate actions to take to overcome the obstacle or setback (making an action plan)
• Evaluating whether the solution and action plan worked

A common obstacle to engaging in this type of program has been included in the table below: being too tired to practice the exercises! Possible solutions have been included in the table which can be put into action. Making a table like this can help you to identify possible solutions and action plans to overcome obstacles you think you may face.

Support

Social networks can be a source of support, encouragement, and motivation as you work with this program in your daily life. This support may be provided by family members, friends or colleagues. Take some time to think about who may provide you with support as you explore ACT. What support do you think you may need? An example is included in the table below. It may be helpful for you to make a table like this to help you identify the social support available to you.

What can you do when an obstacle or setback arises?

If you face an obstacle or experience a setback you may feel disappointment or frustration.Try not to get too disheartened and don’t give up! Remind yourself that it’s normal to experience obstacles and setbacks when learning new skills. The key to success is to continue despite them – don’t let them undermine you! Going through these steps can help you to get back on track:

1. Remind yourself about what you are aiming to achieve
2. Remind yourself why you want to achieve it
3. Review a record of your ACT exercise practice and progress so far
4. Review your ‘Troubleshooting’ table and identify any action plans that can be used to help you to overcome the obstacle or setback
5. Seek support from your social network

In addition, you can also use some of the techniques that you are learning in the program. In response to an obstacle or setback, do your best to:

• Defuse from your thoughts
• Practice being mindfully present and observe yourself
• Accept the obstacle or setback
• Re-affirm your commitment to continue to move in the direction of your values despite the obstacle or setback

Old strategies

If you face an obstacle during the program or experience a setback it’s possible that you may return to an old strategy to manage your pain. If this happens, take time to think about what triggered this and what you might do to avoid such triggers or patterns of behavior in the future.

Getting back on course with the program after a setback

• During a setback, especially if it’s related to illness or a flare of one of your symptoms, it’s natural to want to take a break from the program for a while.
• But it’s important to continue with some ACT activities as you’re able to. Something is better than nothing! This might involve doing a 5-minute mindfulness exercise. Then, gradually engage with other aspects of the program and build your self-confidence to get back on track.
• Identifying possible causes of the obstacle or setback and how you might avoid or minimize their effect can be very helpful. Any new insights you gain can be added to your ‘Troubleshooting’ table.

Where do I go from here? Planning for the future and building on your successes

Throughout this program you will learn how to use new tools to help manage your pain. Alongside this, you will also have the opportunity to practice new skills to identify obstacles and use troubleshooting and action planning to overcome or minimize their impact. These skills will help you to approach new challenges in a realistic and achievable way and allow you to approach your pain and your broader life with new tools in your toolbox.

Maintaining motivation and direction

After you have completed this program, you can continue to use the tools and resources that you’ve used along the way.