How Mindfulness Practice of Acceptance can Relieve Stress
4 Ways to Make the Power of Mindful Acceptance Work for You
Have you ever longed to change certain aspects or nuances of others to make your life easier?
Perhaps you are completely content with practically all but a few minor aspects. Only what once seemed like a minor inconvenience has evolved into a major inconvenience that has increasingly become a thorn in your side.
You’ve more than likely attempted to do practically everything you possibly could to encourage change in your favor, all to no avail. Perhaps you’re completely tapped out from the sheer exhausting effort of constantly trying to coerce others to change.
Whatever the case may be, know that you are not alone. This post will outline how the mindfulness practice of acceptance can support you to accept what is, and relieve stress.
The Unconscious Habit of Non-Acceptance
The practice of acceptance has been widely misunderstood, in that it’s often associated with agreement essentially implying that one must like what unfolds. In other words, the only way you can or should yield acceptance is if you are in agreement with what is taking place. In life we encounter a diverse range of experiences, of which some elicit immense joy, whereas others can evoke unbearable emotional pain and suffering.
As spiritual beings having an human incarnation, we can little to no volition over people and things outside of ourselves. Likewise we frequently encounter situations and circumstances we’d rather avoid. In typical human fashion we set out to do everything within our power to sway people, behaviors, actions, and a manner of things to work in our favor.
In the case of relationships, if your significant other was raised in a way that greatly differs from your upbringing, they may possess a series of specific annoying habits that go against absolutely everything you hold true. Perhaps what initially began as a minor annoyance has evolved into a sharp thorn in your side.
Just maybe they as an individual proverbially check off mostly all of your boxes, but a few minor infractions. Or, maybe what started as a minor annoyance that you managed to initially brush off, has now evolved into a major inconvenience that’s likely causing you a great deal of stress and discontent.
Perhaps you opted to take matters into your own hands, pleading your case, using persuasion, jet eye mind tricks, nagging, and every other possible strategy you could think of to coerce and will things in your favor, all to no avail.
Only the path of non-acceptance has left you all the more stressed, burnt out, and weary, with no relief in sight. Whenever we experience situations, circumstances, or any other manner of experiences that reside outside of the realm of control, we tend to experience undue stress that can wreak have havoc on our health and well-being.
In essence, the more we resist what is, the more we resolve ourselves to experience the effects of mental, physical, and psychological stress. Interestingly our bodies are intricate well-oiled machines that have the capacity to compensate for inefficiencies. As with most things our bodies likewise have a threshold, of which our compensatory mechanisms have their limits. However, the key is to increase our inner awareness of what we are experiencing on a moment-to-moment basis so that we can course-correct it.
The practice of mindfulness empowers us to tune in our awareness, of our present experience so that we can release all that weighs us down.
The Mindful Practice of Acceptance
In life, there are very few things that we can control outside of ourselves. Therefore, if we yield to the habit of non-acceptance, and expend our time, energy, and efforts, to forcibly will things to happen in our favor, we will experience undue stress.
The sheer amount of misery, agony, emotional, and physiological, pain, and suffering that we endure can be unbearable. Practically everyone can attest to the sheer agony that ensues when we resist what is. This raises a very interesting question, how can one accept what is, if it causes such emotional pain. So glad you asked. Acceptance is not compliance or agreement with what is.
In fact, it’s the exact opposite. In essence, acceptance is a practice that increases our awareness of what unfolds on a moment-by-moment basis as our experience, freeing us from the expectations of how we believe things should unfold. This practice allows us to release expectations and accept things simply as is. In other words, we do not have to like what unfolds, we just need to accept it as it. In the event that it misaligns with what we deem as a non-negotiable for our lives, it likewise equips us with the power to choose the best path forward.
4 Ways to Make the Mindful Practice of Acceptance Work for You
1. Journey within to explore where you are unconsciously practicing non-acceptance
Habits become so ingrained within our subconscious that it often falls under our awareness. In other words, habits become so automatic that we are often unaware that we are engaging in a particular practice. Notably, it is well known that many spouses complain of the sheer annoyance they experience when their significant other nags. Interestingly, the spouse that is doing the nagging more than likely only sees themselves as merely reminding the other to do particular tasks.
Whereas, the spouse on the receiving end sees it completely differently. Likely their respective spouse views the tone, cadence, and repetitiveness of their pleas more like a broken record than gentle friendly reminders. Increasing our awareness of what unfolds in the now moment goes beyond subconscious habits, giving us a bird’s eye view of what is.
2. Release Judgement
When it comes to judgment we often extend more grace to others, than we do ourselves. Whenever we increase our awareness, it empowers us to take a deeper dive into our unconscious habits. In doing so, we are not always going to like what we see.
The practice of releasing judgment empowers us to simply observe what is, and accept it, just as it is. Releasing judgment frees us from the self-doubt, and ridicule, that often ensues when we harshly apply judgment to ourselves.
3. Acceptance
Increase your awareness of what is in the now moment. Release any judgment based on whether it aligns with any preconceived notions or expectations. As the old saying goes, when someone shows you who they are, believe them. In other words, when you see and accept things for how they are, surrender the need to coerce them to work in your favor. In essence, acceptance frees you from the stress that comes with resisting what is.
4. Repeat As Often As Needed
The practice of mindful acceptance is not just a one-off. Therefore, you can’t just expect to apply it to just one aspect of life. Its’ a practice that can be and should be applied in every aspect, from relationships, work, business, finances, acquaintances, associates, family, and the like.
Continuously increase your awareness of what you are resisting, and accept what is as many times as needed. Know that acceptance is not complacency, it’s a practice that equips you with the power of choice to select where and how you chose to expend your energy at any point in time.