What is your relationship like with acceptance? It is common to confuse acceptance with staying “stuck.” The line between acceptance and stagnation is thin and sometimes blurry. Despite that fact, what if acceptance of yourself and your situation was the launchpad for change, growth, and healing?
What You Resist, Persists
As cliche as it is, it is true. What you resist, persists, whether it be a feeling, thought, or task.
In other words, the longer you avoid and judge parts of yourself or put off something you need to do, the longer and more intense those feelings and thoughts toward what you are resisting will become. This can lead you down the path of self-destructive habits.
Meaning Making
How do you view acceptance and the way it causes you to become your true self? For instance, you may feel like if you were to accept feelings of anger, sadness, and anxiety, they would stay here forever.
Alternatively, you may feel if you accept your body as it is you will never move your body or fuel it with what makes you feel good. You may also find yourself thinking that if you were to accept your present circumstances, then you would become stuck and never move past them to reach the goals you have for yourself.
What if none of these stories were true, and you could create a new story and experience for yourself through practicing acceptance? What if your life has meaning now as you make your way to whatever you are striving for?
Practicing Acceptance
Ask yourself if resisting where you are and who you are has benefitted you in any way. Acceptance is the very thing that can launch you forward into the goals you have for yourself organically. It is the refusal to accept the present circumstances that keeps you stuck and feeling as if where you are and who you are is wrong.
Practicing acceptance challenges old ways of being, which can feel as scary as it is unfamiliar—but that does not make it wrong. Growth and healing do not always feel comfortable, but it does lead to creating personal comfort. Try adding the phrase “for now” to the end of any “I am” statements you make about yourself. This way, you can acknowledge and accept where you are while also preparing yourself to move beyond it.
Practicing self-acceptance can feel like something you did not have permission to do until you begin practicing it. During recovery from substance use and mental illness, self-acceptance of your past and present self is how you begin to access your authentic self. At Avalon Malibu, we recognize how important self-acceptance is for healing. Our team of professionals is here to support you as you practice this for yourself. If you are ready to begin your journey, call Avalon Malibu today at (844) 857-5992.
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