Chessboard can help work through difficult emotions

Are you a chess player? Have you found yourself fascinated by the game even if you don’t participate? This game can be played casually with friends or as more of a competitive sport with other serious players.

In psychology, this game provides a helpful metaphor for navigating difficult thoughts and emotions. This has been elucidated in the modality of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

The technique is to identify your difficult thoughts and emotions as various pieces on the board. You can see them more clearly when you transfer internal struggles onto the external. This also helps you step back from the pain within to gain a more objective perspective. This is a great starting point to be able to move through tough thoughts and emotions without getting stuck and making decisions from a healthier place within.

This can help with a variety of mental health struggles such as anxiety, stress and depression. It can also assist with issues such as perfectionism, people-pleasing and impostor syndrome.

Mindfulness teaches people to cultivate the “observer” perspective when working with thoughts and feelings.

This helps strengthen self-awareness and self-regulation. The chessboard itself represents the observer self in this metaphor. While it’s still connected to the pieces on the board, it’s not the pieces themselves.

Similarly, you are not your thoughts and feelings. They are transient and will pass eventually if you will allow them to do so.

For example, if someone is struggling with career conflict, they may use this metaphor to look at all sides of the issue. From a more neutral vantage point, they are better able to understand themselves and make a more grounded, informed decision.

Even if you’re not a chess player, you may find this process useful to identify tough thoughts and emotions, move beyond them, and get clarity about the best next steps for you.