Vitality vs Suffering Worksheet
By
HappierTherapy
Author bio
The Happier Therapy editorial team is made up of Masters and PhD counselling psychologists. Each worksheet is created by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The worksheet then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
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What is the theory behind the Vitality vs Suffering Worksheet?
Vitality is a positive term indicating a state of feeling enriched, happy and alive. On the other hand suffering is a negative term indicating pain and poor physical and emotional well-being. Focusing on both aspects is a technique used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help individuals become more aware of how their painful thoughts are contributing to either their rise or their demise.
How will the worksheet help?
This worksheet will help individuals become aware of their painful thoughts, emotions and memories and also how they normally react to them. They have to classify their reactions as things that contributed to their vitality or things that contribute to their pain and suffering. This exercise can help them see the consequences of their painful thoughts and emotions on their wellbeing.
How to use the worksheet?
Instruct the client to be mindful of whenever they feel painful thoughts, emotions or memories resurfacing. Whenever it happens they have to take note of those and what they did afterwards and write it down in either the vitality column or the suffering column depending on where their reaction fits.