Do you ever feel like anxiety is running your life? Like you’re constantly worrying about things that haven’t even happened yet? If you’re nodding your head right now, trust me—you’re not alone. And more importantly, there is hope.
In fact, two powerful yet simple methods completely transformed the way I manage my own anxiety, and they could do the same for you.
The revolutionary approach of Dr Claire Weekes
Let me introduce you to someone who completely changed my relationship with anxiety: Dr Claire Weekes. Although you might not recognize her name immediately, Dr Weekes was nothing short of groundbreaking in the field of anxiety management.
Decades before anxiety became a household term, Weekes was pioneering techniques that helped people break free from debilitating worry. Her approach wasn’t complicated. In fact, it boiled down to just four words:
Face. Accept. Float. Let time pass.
Here’s how this works practically:
- Face: Instead of running from anxiety, acknowledge it directly.
- Accept: Recognize all the physical sensations without trying to change or resist them.
- Float: Take deep breaths, allowing yourself to rise above the panic, gently detaching from it.
- Let time pass: Allow the moment to naturally subside without pushing or fighting.
Judith Hoare beautifully summarizes Weekes’ revolutionary insights in her biography, The Woman Who Cracked the Anxiety Code. Hoare highlights how Weekes deeply understood anxiety’s physical impacts, such as the rapid escalation of panic (the “whiplash of panic”) and how the nervous system becomes hyper-sensitized. Crucially, Weekes discovered that the key to recovery wasn’t confronting each fear individually but rather accepting anxiety as it is—removing the internal struggle.
Simple? Yes. Easy? Not always. But powerful? Absolutely.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Taking it further
Years after discovering Dr Weekes’ life-changing book, I encountered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which provided an even deeper and more structured way to manage anxiety.
ACT isn’t about eliminating anxiety altogether—it’s about learning how to live fully despite it. Developed by psychologist Dr Russ Harris, ACT offers six straightforward principles designed to significantly improve your emotional health and resilience:
1. Contacting the present moment (Mindfulness)
Mindfulness means being fully present, curious, and engaged in the current moment without judgment. This counters anxiety’s tendency to drag us into ruminating about past mistakes or worrying endlessly about the future.
Dr Harris explains mindfulness as a powerful tool to help us reconnect with our lives, deepen our self-awareness, and enrich our connections with others. It’s essentially the art of waking up to life.
2. Defusion (Watch your thinking)
Defusion teaches us to detach from our thoughts, seeing them clearly as passing events rather than concrete realities. Think of it like watching leaves float by on a stream. You notice them, but you don’t need to jump in after them.
This helps tremendously because anxiety often traps us in negative or obsessive thoughts—so-called “monkey mind.” Realizing you are not your thoughts but merely the observer gives you remarkable freedom and clarity.
3. Acceptance (Open up)
Acceptance is making room for uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and sensations without pushing them away. Instead of becoming frustrated when anxiety persists, ACT encourages you to let these feelings simply be, which paradoxically reduces their intensity.
A helpful strategy is reframing: instead of saying, “I am anxious,” say, “I am having feelings of anxiety.” This slight shift creates psychological distance, easing your distress.
4. Self-as-context (The observing self)
In ACT, you recognize two aspects of your mind: the thinking self and the observing self. The observing self, or self-as-context, is always there, quietly witnessing your thoughts and feelings without getting tangled in them.
Dr Harris describes this observing self as unchanging and ever-present, giving you a stable vantage point from which to calmly witness your anxiety.
5. Values (Know what matters)
Clarifying your core values—such as kindness, courage, or authenticity—is central in ACT. Your values act like a compass, providing direction even when anxiety tries to derail you.
By clearly defining what truly matters to you, anxiety loses some of its power, because your decisions become guided by your values rather than your fears.
6. Committed action
Committed action means taking steps aligned with your core values, even when it’s difficult or uncomfortable. It’s about actively choosing to live according to what matters most to you.
This could include practicing mindfulness regularly, setting clear boundaries, prioritizing self-care, or simply acting courageously despite anxious feelings.
Living freely despite anxiety
Both Claire Weekes’ simple yet revolutionary approach and ACT share a common theme: acceptance. Rather than exhausting yourself by fighting anxiety, these methods encourage you to accept it as part of your experience and then take purposeful action towards living a meaningful life.
My personal mantra now blends both insights:
- From Claire Weekes: “Face, accept, float, let time pass.”
- From ACT: “Be present, open up, and do what matters.”
The reality is people who suffer from anxiety cannot run away from it. Anxiety may never completely vanish—it might still appear at inconvenient moments—but it doesn’t have to dictate your life choices or hold you back.
By integrating these powerful techniques into your daily routine, you can reclaim your life, cultivate resilience, and reconnect with joy.
If you’re interested in discovering more evidence-based strategies to transform your life and live fully guided by your values, consider exploring my online course, Reset Your Life Compass. It’s designed to equip you with practical tools to create a life of clarity, resilience, and meaning.
