When we have experienced painful events or traumas in our past, it can feel really difficult and inauthentic to consider concepts such as forgiveness or acceptance. Yet, holding the weight of the past usually does not serve us well, and acceptance doesn't mean that you approve of what happened to you.
What are 3 things about acceptance you may not know? Checkout the video and transcript below to learn more.
(Transcript from video below)
Hey my name is Meredith and I'm the owner of Rooted Wellness Counseling here in Boulder, Colorado!
Today I wanted to introduce three concepts about acceptance that you may not know.
A lot of times, I think people are familiar with the word forgiveness when they're considering how to approach a past situation, trauma, or event that has caused them a lot of pain. But acceptance is a very important and crucial step in healing that I don't think we talked about enough.
Three things that are important for people to know about acceptance.
1. Acceptance does not equal approval
Acceptance does not equal approval or mean that we're okay with what has happened to us. I think is hard for a lot of people to think about the term acceptance, because it can feel like they are giving up or giving in, saying that they are okay with what happened to them, and that's not true. Acceptance simply means that we are acknowledging the reality of things. We know that we don't have access to change things in the future or the past, and by acknowledging what happened, it does allow us to take further steps forward in our healing.
2. Acceptance means that we are no longer seeking to fight reality
Again, acceptance is not approving or saying we're okay with the past, but acknowledging that it's a really heavy weight to always be rehashing and considering other ways that the situation could have gone. Instead, we can acknowledge how it went and where we fit into that situation. The process of acceptance helps us work through where we are at now, how far we are on our journey towards acceptance, and which parts of our past experience/ trauma/ situation make us feel the most stuck. We can observe what holding onto the past is doing to us, how is that impacting us- is it serving us?
3. Acceptance is a process
Acceptance looks different for everyone, but it is something that everyone really deserves who has been through a really painful past experience or situation. To carry all of the emotions with us for months or years is really exhausting and draining. I think acceptance is a really wonderful way to work through our healing process.
If you're interested in furthering your healing through acceptance work, feel free to schedule a free consultation on my website. Thank you have a great day guys!
Meredith Waller MSW, LCSW
Based in Boulder, CO and offering online counseling throughout Colorado
-Certified Shame-Informed Treatment Specialist
-Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional