3 Ways to Build Radical Acceptance
Radical acceptance is the practice of accepting the circumstances, no matter how challenging they might be. Here are three simple ways to get there.
Clinical psychologist and parenting therapist Nanika Coor discusses radical acceptance in her excellent article for Maisonette, excerpted here with permission.
From What Is Radical Acceptance, Exactly?
No matter how old your child is, you’re going to encounter challenging aspects of parenting that you just can’t change. Challenges come in the form of loss, physical and mental health issues, death, disappointments, divorce, daily frustrations, natural disasters - pandemics! It’s natural that you sometimes get stuck in a swirl of chaotic emotions, having thoughts like, “Why me?!” or “This is so unfair!” or “This shouldn’t be happening!” When you’re in this state of agitation that seems beyond your ability to cope, you can minimize your uncomfortable feelings by practicing radical acceptance.
Not only can practicing radical acceptance help you calm down when you’re feeling overwhelmed, but it also allows you to slow down your emotional process enough for your ability to reason to come back online so that you can make healthier decisions rather than knee-jerk reactions you may later regret. You’re less likely to lash out (or in) when your buttons are pushed. Once you are expending less energy resisting reality and things you can’t control, you can focus on what you can control and take effective actions.
Dr. Coor suggests three ways parents can use radical acceptance:
