I Accept the World Around Me

Yesterday, I blogged about radical acceptance (a concept from dialectical behavioral therapy), the practice of choosing to accept reality as it is, rather than getting upset or angry about how things are. It doesn’t mean that we approve of this reality, or even that we choose to passively do nothing about it – it just means that we accept it as it is.

In yesterday’s post, I listed a number of things about myself that I want to learn to accept. I’m going to be practicing reading through that list regularly, like self-affirmations, to try to train myself to actually believe them. (Action precedes motivation.) In today’s post, I will make another list – but this one is about things outside myself, things that are triggers for me, things that often upset me. Like yesterday, I’m going to write these in declarative form, as though I already believe them. Again, that’s not necessarily the case, but these are things I want to work toward.

• I accept that there are many people with political views very different from my own. These people have their own stories that have led them to these views, just as my story has led me to mine. I do not have to try to change their mind.
• I accept that there are people who are self-righteous and obnoxious with their opinions. I do not have to try to teach them to be humble.
• I accept that there are things I am wrong about, even though I may not know what they are. I can be humble with my beliefs and opinions, holding onto them loosely because of this.
• I accept that there are things I will never understand, no matter how hard I try. This doesn’t mean that I am stupid.
• I accept that life might be without meaning or purpose, but I choose to believe and act as though it does.
• I accept that my beliefs about God may be wrong; even my belief that God exists may be wrong. Nonetheless I choose to believe and act as though God does.
• I accept that when I speak, people may not listen. This doesn’t mean that my words are meaningless.
• I accept that some people will not like me, for any number of reasons. It is not my job to change that.
• I accept that some people may show cruelty to my child for being gender-fluid. It is not my job to prevent that from happening, but to provide support for my child if it does.

I’m interested in what you want to accept in the world around you. What would you add to this list?

Featured Photo by Faye Cornish on Unsplash