Radical Acceptance
The Key to Revealing Joy in Every Chapter of Life
Introduction:
Have you ever found yourself in the depths of a challenging situation, where the darkness seems overwhelming and the light feels out of reach? In those moments, it's essential to dig deep within ourselves to discover the flicker of joy in our journey, even in the eye of the storm. Join me as we explore the beauty of finding light in the darkest of times and celebrating every small victory along the way.
“The joy is in the journey, the struggle is part of the joy and the final destination is not an end but another beginning of another journey.”
Wow, what a beautiful quote, don’t you think? I think finding joy in the journey and celebrating small wins is such an important topic. We, as humans, tend to forget there is usually some lesson to learn, appreciation, or purpose for us to experience in human form so we can level up. Life is full of trials and tribulations, but it is also full of light, love, and triumphs. I believe it isn’t always the hardships we encounter, but what we learn and how we move forward is what matters the most in our personal growth journey.
One of the concepts I have learned throughout my journey is radical acceptance. In its more basic form radical acceptance is practicing a conscious effort to acknowledge and honor difficult situations and emotions. I’ve only learned about this concept a couple of years ago, but this was my “aha” moment that I’m supposed to share my story to inspire others to practice radical acceptance and guide them on their personal growth journey.
You see, I was the type of person who would push everything deep down and I wore so many masks I didn’t even recognize myself. I resisted seeking help and avoided as many emotions as I possibly could so I became numb to my story. Sound familiar? What I didn’t realize was resisting my reality lead to an internal struggle of feeling unloved, unworthy, and questioning my existence thinking God made a mistake when he created me.
“What you resist not only persists, but will grow in size.’’ — Carl Jung
So you might be wondering how to practice radical acceptance. I’ll share with you the steps I took and invite you to practice these tips yourself.
1) Acknowledge the present- Be mindful of your situation without passing judgement.
2) Ask yourself if you can control or change the situation- Let go of the desire to control things outside of your control. You can’t control other people and you can’t always control every situation, but you can control how you respond.
3) Gently remind yourself that the past is the past and no matter how hard you try, you can’t change it. The past, no matter if good or bad, happened.
4) Breathe and ground yourself. I know it sounds simple but focusing on your breath even for a short minute has its benefits. You know when you are stressed and your body gets tense? Having breathing techniques in place helps. My favorite so far is closing my eyes, taking three deep, slow breaths breathing in through the nose, and out of the mouth with the third breath out do an audible sigh.
5) Practice gratitude. It doesn’t matter if you are looking at yourself in the mirror and verbally expressing gratitude, writing it down, or in a meditation with your hand on your heart. It doesn’t take long to practice gratitude. Be grateful for the big and small things in life even in the eye of the storm.
6) Be patient with yourself. This is a journey and it takes practice to master radical acceptance.
7) Be around a supportive community. Let’s face it, not everyone is going to understand the journey you are on. It is important to find people who are on a similar path and journey. You don’t have to do this alone!
Conclusion:
When you practice radical acceptance you allow yourself to find joy in the journey. You can celebrate the small wins along the way. I invite you to join my newsletter where I share stories, tips, up-to-date information, personal invites to events, recipes, and more.