Psychological flexibiliy, A mindset muscle worth building

Psychological flexibiliy. A mindset muscle worth building

In a recent exchange at our Mindset Mastery School, Robert Dilts shared a reference that stopped me in my tracks—because it confirmed something I’ve witnessed time and again in my coaching work.

When it comes to real, lasting transformation, the biggest driver isn’t intelligence, motivation, or even strong support systems. Those certainly matter. But they’re not the key.

The key is something quieter, deeper, and often overlooked: Psychological flexibility.

This term was brought into mainstream psychology by Dr. Steven C. Hayes, Professor at the University of Nevada. His team conducted a massive meta-analysis of over 55,000 psychology studies over four years. Their mission? To identify which therapeutic interventions actually work—and why others don't. One mental skill consistently rose to the top: psychological flexibility.

What is psychological flexibility?

It’s the ability to stay present in the moment, open to your thoughts and emotions, and actively choose behavior that aligns with your values—even when things feel uncomfortable, uncertain, or messy.

Put more simply, psychological flexibility allows us to:

✅ Adapt without losing ourselves

✅ Feel without being overwhelmed

✅ Pause and respond rather than react

The mindset connection

Mindset work makes psychological flexibility possible. Practices like mindfulness, emotional regulation, and self-reflection aren’t just feel-good exercises—they’re training grounds for building inner range. When we understand how our minds react under pressure, we can interrupt automatic patterns and choose more intentional ones. We can hold tension without rushing to resolve it. We can feel discomfort without defaulting to avoidance.

In short: We become more available to life.

Start building your flexibility muscle

Here are a few questions I often give clients to help spark this shift:

✓ When you are stressed, do I avoid or engage with curiosity?

✓ Can you hold two conflicting truths without forcing a resolution?

✓ Are you willing to feel uncomfortable in service of what matters most?

Final thought

Psychological flexibility isn’t a personality trait. It’s a trainable skill. And like any muscle, it grows with deliberate practice.

If you're committed to leading with more presence, navigating complexity with clarity, and acting in alignment with your deeper values—this is the muscle to build.

Let’s strengthen it. Together.

Email: sandrine.gelin@glshift.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sandrinelamrani

Make an appointment: https://www.glshift.com/book-online

Web Site: www.glshift.com

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