Message from Dr. B. (Linda Paulk Buchanan): Acceptance Part 2 - Radical Acceptance is a mindfulness concept that refers to the necessity of accepting what is. When something isn’t the way we wish it were, it can cause us discomfort or pain. But when we don’t accept how it is, we add suffering to the pain. Accepting what is doesn’t mean that we like or approve of it or even that we wouldn’t work to change it. It does mean that we accept that, in this moment, it is what it is. Whenever I hear myself say, “I can't believe…,” I am not practicing acceptance.
Examples of lack of acceptance:
I can’t believe my son got that spider bite.
I can’t believe I forgot that meeting.
I wish my parents hadn’t divorced.
I wish I were taller.
I can’t stand this traffic.
I can’t believe we lost that game.
I can’t believe I was treated that way.
Follow these kinds of thoughts with, “It is what it is,” “It could be worse,” or “Well, what now?” and notice the shift in the level of negative emotion that you feel. This shift then releases energy to move forward or seek change.
Examples of lack of acceptance:
I can’t believe my son got that spider bite.
I can’t believe I forgot that meeting.
I wish my parents hadn’t divorced.
I wish I were taller.
I can’t stand this traffic.
I can’t believe we lost that game.
I can’t believe I was treated that way.
Follow these kinds of thoughts with, “It is what it is,” “It could be worse,” or “Well, what now?” and notice the shift in the level of negative emotion that you feel. This shift then releases energy to move forward or seek change.
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