This past week, I have had several great conversations with friends about acceptance, about how to get to a place where we can accept things as they are. I believe that is something most of us struggle with? Can we only be at peace when we are on holiday in a beautiful place, with our favourite people in the world, no aches and pains, feeling super heathy, and with no responsibilities whatsoever? Please take this with a smile!
I totally understand that it is easy to think of acceptance as something weak and not caring, I used to see it that way. I see it differently now as I am experiencing it completely differently! The way I understand acceptance today (when I remember!), is that I allow things to be as they are and don’t fight against reality. From that place of acceptance, which I find feels like a place of peace and no resistance, I can take action, if action is needed.
It is pretty powerful to be in acceptance, because you can then act with so much more wisdom! When you are in this space of acceptance, you are calm and grounded, and there is no (or hardly any) resistance to what is. You intentionally open for creativity to flow through you, and wiser thoughts on how to act then simply come to you. Or you might see that it is actually best to not do anything. No forcing or struggling is needed here. Can you see that when you are filling up your mind with frustrating thoughts or feeling annoyed about a certain situation or person, constantly wondering why things are as they are, you are blocking your mind for inspiration to come in?
Practicing acceptance is not only good for our minds when we are struggling with something, it can also be very useful if you experience physical pain. Physical sensations, thoughts and emotions are all linked and have an effect on each other. Maybe you are hurting somewhere in the body. How about bringing a little bit of acceptance to that area of pain? By bringing acceptance into play, you are bringing kindness and care to your body, and perhaps helping that place in the body to rest and heal somewhat by itself. Knowing that your body wants to be well might also help. Below I have inserted a short clip by Jon Kabat-Zinn (the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) in which he explains the power of acceptance when there is physical pain.
Bringing acceptance into challenges in your life might allow you to take the first step towards less suffering. Wishing you well in the situation you are in 🙏
