Page Chen, G11 陈沛铨

I lost two more badminton matches to my friend. Although our games were casual, my mindset shifted dramatically — as if I were competing in the Olympics. Every missed shot and lost point weighed on me, fueling silent frustration and aggression.

Mentally exhausted, I gritted my teeth, pushing through the self-doubt that gnawed at me: Am I really this bad? Why can’t I win? Maybe I’m just not cut out for sports. Reflecting on my performance, I reached a disheartening conclusion: I lacked talent.

But this setback became an opportunity to apply a principle I’d learned from psychology — one that transformed my frustration into growth.

The approach is called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a cognitive-behavioral method often used to treat depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Unlike traditional therapies requiring professional guidance, ACT emphasizes self-awareness, making it practical for personal development.

As the name suggests, ACT focuses on two key steps:

Accepting difficult emotions instead of suppressing them;

Committing to actions aligned with personal values.

It challenges conventional self-esteem models that rely on comparison, instead promoting intrapersonal reflection (How do I respond to failure?). A core technique is cognitive diffusion — detaching from negative thoughts and observing them objectively, recognizing they’re just thoughts, not truths. Instead of drowning in self-criticism, ACT encourages acknowledging hardships without judgment.

In my case, instead of fixating on my losses, I accepted that frustration is natural, then committed to improving without self-blame, and tried to find joy in playing, regardless of the outcome.

This shift builds resilience, turning setbacks into growth. Next time you face a challenge, try applying ACT — you might surprise yourself.