Riding the Urge: A Free ACT Worksheet for Values-Based Screen Choices
Behavioural Addiction · ACT · Research-supported
An ACT worksheet that defuses from urgency-laden thoughts such as "I have to check now," teaches urge surfing for the craving wave rather than fighting or obeying it, and builds a values-based — not rule-based — screen-use plan with a willingness rating and one committed action the client chooses for themselves.
Underlying mechanism: Cognitive Defusion & Values-Based Urge Surfing
What it helps with
- Creating distance from an urgent-feeling thought without arguing with it or trying to suppress it.
- Riding out a craving wave that will pass on its own, rather than treating the urge as a command.
- Building a screen-use plan the client actually owns, because a rule imposed from outside rarely survives real craving.
How clinicians use it
- Practise the "I’m having the thought that..." defusion move in session before assigning it as a standalone exercise.
- Insist the values-based use plan is written by the client in their own words — a plan handed down by the therapist or a parent will not hold under real craving.
- Use the willingness rating to gauge whether the client is ready for the plan, or needs more values work first.
Building the Plan in Session
- Elicit the exact wording of the urgent thought before defusing it — a paraphrased thought defuses less cleanly than the client’s own words.
- Let the client choose the value; a value the clinician supplies is a rule with different wording.
- Keep the committed action small enough to actually happen today, not a description of the client they eventually want to be.
What the worksheet looks like
| The urgent thought | Defused version | Value chosen | Committed action |
|---|---|---|---|
| "I have to check now or I’ll miss something." | "I’m having the thought that I have to check now." | Being present with people I’m actually with | Left my phone in my bag for the whole bus journey home |
| "Everyone else is already replying." | "I’m noticing the thought that everyone else is already replying." | Being someone people can rely on, not someone who’s always rushed | Replied once, after finishing my homework, instead of mid-task |
Clinical cautions
Willingness work assumes the client has some baseline motivation to explore change — for a client in active pre-contemplation, spend more time on values clarification before introducing willingness language.
References
- Alkal, A. (2025). The role of psychological flexibility and emotion regulation in the relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological wellbeing in adolescents: three-wave longitudinal serial mediation study. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 23(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-025-02405-8.
- Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Marlatt, G. A., & Gordon, J. R. (1985). Relapse Prevention: Maintenance Strategies in the Treatment of Addictive Behaviors. Guilford Press.
Part of
Screen Craving in the Phone-Ban Era
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