A day of acceptance

Why don't we have a day of acceptance - of ourselves, today?

ac·cept·ance

akˈseptəns/

noun

1. 1.

   the action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered.

   
   
2. 2.

   the action or process of being received as adequate or suitable, typically to be admitted into a group.

   
   

Or in Psychology:

Acceptance

Acceptance in human psychology is a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition without attempting to change it, protest, or exit.

How often are you focusing on changing yourself?  Always trying to do better at work, put in more hours, work smarter…..and then in our leisure life, not being content with where we are.

I am so guilty of this in all aspects of my life. For example:

• In my singing - I'm always focusing on trying to incorporate everything I've learned in my lesson…..always wanting the group to sing better.  So much so, I forget to enjoy where I am right now in my singing and just enjoy what we are singing and the connections with others.
• In work - I'm working a new job for Ceres and so trying my best, trying to get a grips with everything, feeling bad when I don't do as I had hoped….instead of ever just recognizing the joy in what I am doing and the wonderful people I'm working with.
• In my studies - I'm trying to get everything done perfectly, figuring out how I can schedule everything, how to keep a balance….and forget just how fascinating what I'm learning is.
• With my friends, I'm trying hard, not wanting to let anyone down, worrying I am forgetting something I should be remembering….and not just having fun with them.

So today I am going to accept myself.  I am where I am, I am who I am. I'm happy to be in the process of continually getting better at all I do - but today, I am going to enjoy where I am right now.

Do you need a day of acceptance of yourself?  I think we should try it once a week.  Friday is acceptance day. There! Let's do it.  We've done what we can all week. Now lets enjoy what we do today without trying to change it.  Sing because I can. Learn and revel in the joy of it. Work and enjoy the connections.

I accept myself today.

Stress happens

We can't eliminate all the stress in our lives - it just isn't possible - and actually, having a little stress in our lives is good for us.  Research on "hormesis" shows that the body responds well to mild stressful situations.  However what we need to do, instead of trying to banish stress, is accept that there will be stress in our lives and develop better coping skills to deal with it.  Skills you can call on everyday.

Most of these skills involve some mind-body connection, cultivating mindfulness and learning to pay attention to the present moment and not dwelling on the past.

Below you will see "The tree of comtemplative practices" which offers suggestions on different types of things you can do to reduce stress.  We are all different.  For some of us, using stillness and meditation will work.  For others, that is never relaxing, so maybe dance or aikido, getting moving, would help.

Maybe music and singing is your way of relaxing, or doing volunteer work and taking your mind off your own problems.

http://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/tree

But don't wait until you are crumbling under stress before you consider what you need to do - find something now that can help you cope with stress.  Choose whatever resonants and feels right for you, and then practice it every day.   If necessary, you may need to find someone to guide you and teach you how to do it effectively.  Before you are in crisis is the time to do that.  But the practice is key too.  Even if you only do your chosen method for a couple of minutes a day, the repetition will really help.

Your body will love you for it - it will change from being under the activation of the sympathetic nervous system - the fight and flight mode - to the autonomic nervous system (ANS).  When we are under the control of the ANS, that's when the body can work at healing itself and restoring.

Start practicing (practising) a contemplative practice!