Acceptance
Acceptance means that you have allowed your emotions to be what they are, without judging them or trying to change them. Acceptance cannot be forced. The story of acceptance always begins with not being able to accept something and then finding a way to do so.
The inescapable importance of acceptance is first met with the question, “Why me?” when we are introduced to pain.
Acceptance does not mean liking, wanting, choosing, or supporting:
Acceptance does not mean that you should like, want, choose or support or support something you don’t want to. We must understand that we choose to make ourselves suffer greatly in pain when we resist and reject something that is beyond our control. It certainly does not mean that you should choose to ignore or like the injustice that has happened to you or someone else. It simply means that you accept that it has happened and act from there with an understanding that the past cannot be altered but the future can be. You are making space for what cannot be changed and giving yourself permission to be as you are, feel what you feel without creating unproductive shame or anxiety. The pain might still be there, but some of the sufferings will be eased.
Acceptance must be practiced:
It’s rare that we one day choose to accept our emotional or physical pain, our bodies, our difficult relationships, or our pasts, and never think about it again. It can require effort, every time you practice acceptance toward something, you create strength and neural connections in your brain, facilitating ease in the future. It’s natural to swing back and forth between feelings of acceptance and feelings of resistance. With time and practice, you will notice that your internal critic becomes quieter.
Acceptance doesn’t mean that you can’t work on changing things:
Many people believe that acceptance is a sign of a passive attitude and giving up. However, this is not the case. Practicing acceptance does not necessarily mean you won’t be able to make a change. You can accept your body and still change it, accept your emotions and acknowledge their impermanence, and accept your behavior one day when you might change it tomorrow.
Acceptance doesn’t mean you’re accepting it’s going to be that way forever:
Suffering is caused by a certain expectation and attachment to the outcome. Try to focus your acceptance on the present and be open and realistic about the future. All we have the power to do is to live in the moment and do our best according to the availability of resources, skills and time, and hoping for a great outcome. Detachment to hope creates suffering.
We can practice acceptance toward everything:
Acceptance can be practiced in all areas of your life. You can exercise it toward your reality, others’ beliefs or ideas, your appearance, your emotions, your health, your past, your thoughts or other individuals.
Life on a daily basis is a mix of good, bad and weird. If you dare to, you shall recognise that something good comes out of a bad situation, once accepted. You can survive any journey, as long as you are ready to take one step at a time. The more you accept, the calmer you become.
Be true, be you!
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