ACT Daily Journal: Get Unstuck and Live Fully with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

by Diana Hill, Debbie Sorensen

Dramatically change your life in just minutes a day with this powerful guided journal.  When you are faced with life’s challenges, it’s easy to lose track of what’s important, get stuck in your thoughts and emotions, and become bogged down by day-to-day problems. Even if you’ve made a commitment to live according to your core values, the ‘real-world’ has a way of driving a wedge between you and a deeper, more meaningful life. Now there’s a flexible program for learning how to practice a popular, proven-effective therapy protocol on your schedule!  With The ACT Daily Journal, you’ll learn all about the six core processes of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)—including mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based living—and even learn about a self-compassion. If there was ever a time to adopt the ACT approach to living, it’s now. By applying ACT to your life, you’ll learn how to roll with life’s punches, and stay in contact with the present moment, even when you have unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations.  The gift of being present is becoming increasingly valuable in these uncertain times of conflict and chaos; it’s never been so important to live flexibly, with more meaning, and with a deeper understanding of shared struggles and our inherent humanity.  ACT is more than just a therapy—it’s a framework for living well. It helps us accept. It teaches us to make a commitment to what we deeply care about. And it works best when practiced daily. Let this journal guide you toward what really matters to you.

Genres: Self Help, Psychology, Mental Health, Nonfiction, Journal

240 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

8 weeks of journaling turned into longer than a year lol. But I finally finished it! I was very excited about the concepts to begin with, somewhere in the middle I felt like I had outgrown them, then they were back to being saliently helpful towards the end. The book is in congruence with what I am learning through my work and spiritual practices. Worth revisiting!

[Kelsey DeMart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this daily journal and have recommended it to all my clients that struggle with any anxious thoughts!

[Tina Milledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great guide to personal development through journaling activities over a period of 8 weeks. There's much can be gained from it, especially if you are a fan of journalling.

[Jane Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ACT (Acceptance and commitment therapy) Daily Journal is a welcome change to all the selfhelp journals on the market that I have seen and been disappointed in over the years. This journal introduced me to a whole new approach to take that makes sense and did not overwhelm me. It is an 8 week program with a daily reading, a guided writing assignment and suggested practices to try throughout the day that do not overshadow everything else. The readings drew me in with personal stories and examples. The writings were helpful in trying to make connections between what I read and my own life. The suggested practices for each day were often very doable. Week 1: Prepare the Ground, Week 2: Being Present- Live in the Now, Week 3: Cognitive Defusion – Greet the Monsters in your Head, Week 4: Acceptance- Courageous, Willing and Open, Week 5: Perspective Taking – Take in the View, Week 6: Values-Choose your Direction, Week 7: Committed Action – Fall on Purpose, Week 8: Flexible Integration – Hive Mind, Week 9: Cured. Not true. The authors point out right up front that life and this journal does not come with a promise of happiness. As I’ve always believed, life comes with pain. It can not be avoided. I’ve tried. The idea behind ACT is developing a psychological flexibility that allows us to make the best choices and move on. Reading through parts of the journal and trying some of the exercises I am beginning to see possibilities. The authors have a podcast, Psychologists Off the Clock, that is a great way to learn more about the type of things covered in this journal. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this journal in a digital version for an honest review. I have now purchased my own copy to write in.

[Kimberly Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ACT Daily Journal is an easy to follow book that will guide you to become more accepting of yourself and how to live more mindfully and positively. This is an easy to follow journal that provides opportunities to work on personal development skills and improve your life and your ability love yourself. This journal is chock full of important wisdom, important activities and life changing journal prompts to guide your self reflection. This book is a must have for anyone looking for self improvement and guidance in the areas of self improvement, compassion, mindfulness, improving self talk, and decreasing negative self talk. This journal has specific, daily steps to take so that embarking on your self improvement journey is not so daunting. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Ross McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars – absolute kudos to Diana and Debbie – this book is an absolute delight. It takes the reader on a journey which has a beautiful flow and structure. The placement & presentation of the science and the exercises is enormously skilled and insightful.

A standout feature for me is the stories that Diana and Debbie share from their own lives which really build the connection with the reader and made it both personal and identifiable for me. It’s written in such a way that it helps the reader recognise the complexity of our human existence and practical steps we can take to develop our own psychological flexibility. Awesome work.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of the book from Diana Hill in advance of a podcast interview for the People Soup Podcast.

[Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

* This book is well-crafted and deserves more than the 3 stars I'm giving it.
* This book has too many prompts that, for me, with a "sticky" and obsessive mind, only provoke more anxious, restless behavior.
* Other people may get more out of this book. I got a little bit out of it from some sections, hence the 3 stars.
* If you've never journaled much before, this might be more life-changing. I've journaled since I was 14. I would recommend just writing out your fucked up thoughts and seeing if that helps you first. :)

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is on a life mission to get in touch with her true self, I got this book hoping to learn the basics of journaling. However, that is not what I got.

What I did get was so much more. The book does have journaling assignments but it is more about acceptance and commitment therapy. The book flows nicely and the stories are great teachers. OVerall not a bad book just not what I was personally expecting.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ACT Daily Journal basically is an 8-week course on applying the concepts of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) in daily life. Each week covers a different theme/core process. For each day, there are journaling suggestions, prompts for reflection and daily practices.

I really liked the length of the daily chapters and the overall sequence of the themes/topics - starting with self-compassion, then going through the core ACT processes and ending with a week on integrating the content of the past weeks while also taking a broader perspective.

I am not new to ACT and I could still take away new insights from this book. I can definitely see myself going back to it from time to time. It might also be interesting for therapists looking for exercises and suggestions for their clients.

[Jill Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as a therapist who likes to recommend self-help, instructive books to my clients to utilize between sessions. This is an easy read, very understandable. That being said, I felt a little disappointed in it but cannot quite identify what I expected and what I didn't find in it. I think this is very helpful for some, not all. Worth trying if you are a person who likes to have journaling prompts.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

ACT Daily Journal by Debbie Sorensen, Diana Hill Explains the basic core processes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The guided journaling assignments included are insightful and meaningful for incorporating ACT into everyday use. A useful and astute self help journal.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

[Carol Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

ACT Daily Journal: Get Unstuck and Live Fully with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Dr. Diana Hill and Dr. Debbie Sorensen is yet another great resource from New Harbinger. In this journal, the basic core processes of ACT are explained, and guided journaling exercises are provided to help incorporate ACT into daily life. Highly recommended. #ACTDailyJournal #NetGalley

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The good and bad part is that this book really simplifies the practice and theory... good because it's relatively easy to get through, as long as you keep up with it and bad because some of the more complicated stuff doesn't quite make sense. But I will definitely recommend this to others looking for an intro to ACT.

[Robbie El · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went through all of the exercises and really loved the immersive experience of learning ACT in a deeply personal and pragmatic way. This is a great book to read early on in your ACT journey but I can also envision getting immense benefit even if you’re experienced in ACT and simply want to refine your skills and recalibrate/realign your life. Well done y’all.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ACT Daily Journal breaks down the basics of ACT for use in our daily lives. The journaling assignments are interesting and relevant. This would be a good addition to the shelves of counselors and therapists, but could also be used as self help.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

—
I received a complimentary Advanced Review Copy (ARC) from the publisher.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Semi thoughtful.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book literally changed my life! As a girl on a quest to self-improvement, I felt this book was not only helpful but gratifying! If you are on a quest like me to change yourself for the better you must read this book!