Radical Acceptance: Learning to live with what you cannot change
A major hallmark of anxiety is excessive worrying about outcomes as a way to control situations. While there are many areas in our lives where we have a great deal of autonomy and the power to change, there are some things that are out of our control. Radical acceptance can help you to accept situations that are out of your control without judgement, reducing your anxiety. 4 ways to practice radical acceptance:
Identify the things in your life that you do have control over and situations that are out of your control. This can help you to focus your energy on situations where you can improve rather than the ones you can’t.
Stop fighting against reality. Often, we are inclined to fight against situations with thoughts such as “This isn’t fair” or “This shouldn't be happening”. While that may be true, it doesn’t change what is. Accepting that something isn’t fair, but still happened can be the first step to radical acceptance.
Embrace your negative feelings. Most of us spend a lot of time avoiding things that make us uncomfortable. Acknowledging and accepting feelings such as sadness, anger, or grief can help us to process those emotions rather than avoid them, leading to acceptance.
Look for the good. Acknowledging hard situations and difficult feelings can be easier if we also have positive things to look forward to. For example, when coping with the loss of a loved one it can be helpful to surround yourself with other people who love and care about you as you process your grief.
When you embrace radical acceptance you free yourself from worry and stress that doesn’t serve you. Spending your time thinking about what should have been can keep you stuck and prevent you from embracing what can be.