Acceptance is an incredibly powerful option especially when it comes to coping with challenging situations. Acceptance helps us work through crises and view them from a different perspective. Life is unpredictable, nothing is permanent and lots of things will have an impact on us.
Fighting and constantly pushing through or away only builds resistance and is exhausting. Practising acceptance will help you to work through life’s challenges in the most useful way.
Imagine you are standing and staring at a locked door. No matter how hard you knock, it doesn’t open. You try breaking it down, bashing against it with your shoulder getting tired and bruised, but still, it stays closed. Instead, try accepting that door is closed and look around to see what other options you have. Are there other doors, gates, or windows of opportunity? What are your choices?
Acceptance Doesn’t Mean You Want, Like or Choose What’s Happening
I’m not suggesting for one minute that you’re endorsing something that’s bad in your life. When you struggle, fight and resist the challenges, you’re suffering. The resistance built up will add an additional layer of stress to the existing challenge, trapping you in a destructive spiral and making things worse.
Acceptance Doesn’t Mean Forever
Focus on living in the present with an open and realistic gaze at the future. Make peace with how the future is looking, things may or may not change, and be ok with it. From there, you can start to move forward again.
For many of my clients, the idea of acceptance has been very useful. By accepting that there may be aspects of their health and life that aren’t perfect, they stop trying to fight what’s occurring and instead, work on what they can influence in the situation. It doesn’t mean they give up, they’re just working from a place which is calm and looking at their options to make changes in the right way for them.
Acceptance Isn’t Weakness
You are not weak or conforming to a life of mediocrity because you make a choice to accept certain situations. Acceptance is finding your inner strength to be ok with things which are far from ideal.
Acceptance Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Act
Allowing things to be doesn’t mean you’re resigned to them and can’t take steps to change or influence the situation. Put a plan in place to work alongside whatever is going on. You can accept things and still work towards changing them by focusing on what you can influence.
Practising Acceptance
Working from a place of calm compassion, choose not to judge the situation but instead look for the lesson or purpose to help you accept what is happening. Let go of trying to control everything and focus on the things you can influence.
Think of something or someone that you accept unconditionally and allow yourself (or the situation) this quality of acceptance. Practice acceptance towards yourself, towards others, your thoughts, your emotions and in all areas of your life. Consciously practising acceptance will require work but will get easier the more you do it.
Acceptance will help you create a sense of calm to flow through life’s challenges.
“Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be a way through it.” Michael J Fox
If you’re struggling with acceptance, contact us to find out how we can help you.
