How To Simplify Your Life
Mindfulness approach on being able to accept all that life throws your way.
When it comes to practicing mindfulness meditation, there are a few things that can seem challenging for ppl to wrap their heads around.
I know, because I have dealt with some of those challenges over the course of my practice, too.
One of those challenges that will be talked about here today has to do with acceptance.
Practicing acceptance was something I struggled with greatly when I first started my meditation practice.
One thought or question that would arise often was—“How am I supposed to just accept things & not do anything about it?” I couldn’t understand this until I understood it…
And based on some of the questions and feedback I get about mindfulness meditation, I’ve come to notice that this is something many others are currently struggling with too, in their practice. So we’re going to break it down in this email:
let’s get into it.
Here’s the OM of this weeks email—
A break down of what acceptance means when it comes to mindfulness & meditation, based on how I’ve come to see & learn it.
Practical tips to help you become more accepting of things during your practice & in your overall life.
Here's how I look at life.
When good things happen, we don’t think twice. We’re just like yep, that’s great. I deserve this. I’m going to take it and run with it. It happened for a reason.
And then when bad things happen, we just lose it. We question everything. We assume the worst. We resist. We spiral into self doubt and indecision and overthinking.
It's kinda like a weird double standard, right?
When good things happen, we just assume they're happening because they're supposed to happen. We accept it.
So why don’t we apply that same standard to the not so good things that happen in our lives?
“Non-acceptance is the source to a lot of the unease and anxiety that we often experience in our lives..”
If we can accept the good things that happen, why can’t we accept the bad things, too?
I feel it’s unfair to treat ourselves this way and truly, non-acceptance is the source to a lot of the unease and anxiety that we often experience in our lives…
Sooo What Can We Do?
The best way to simplify our lives is to take a step back and recognize that just as much as we can allow ourselves to accept the good, we can also allow ourselves to accept the bad. We have the choice & all the power here.
- Something good happened? Great! That’s happening for a reason.
- Something bad happened? OK. That’s also happening for a reason.
Acceptance of things (both good and bad) can be learned best through practicing mindfulness meditation. The more you practice, the more benefits you will find from doing so.
This practice (mindfulness meditation) involves cultivating more openness (or receptiveness) to what is happening in the present moment experience of your mind & body & just staying there with it, simply observing it.
That includes noting your tendency to want to distance yourself from, or change, unpleasant or uncomfortable aspects of your experience.
It also includes, noticing the impulses you may have to cling on to a pleasant experience, and/or become bored with or overlook neutral ones.
Ofcourse this sounds easier said than done. I’m highly aware that this is no easy task to fulfill.
Benefits—
However, when we practice & practice & practice remaining present with what arises, something can start to happen—we can get to this level that brings us in contact with a part of our higher selves. The part of us, that at the fundamental level, is okay with it all. We learn to become accepting of alll things that may come our way, despite it being good or bad.
Ultimately we can begin to loosen up around the ebb and flow that life is, allowing the pleasant and unpleasant thoughts and sensations to come and go as they will, and have less distress about it all.
We can allow ourselves to finally be able to witness our present moment experience without attaching it on as apart of our identity. Without making the situation worst by hating negative experiences, or holding on so tightly to beautiful experiences that are inevitably short lasting by nature.
We can begin to notice that through our efforts & consistent practices, our ability to accept all things will come easier, thus simplifying our life all together.
Umm So We Have To Accept Bad Things??
Please understand that acceptance of all things doesn’t necessarily mean you find all things appropriate or right. It just means accepting that at this moment, today, the situation is as it is and you’re noticing how you feel in your mind & in your body because of it.
It’s more about saying “in this moment, this is what it’s like” than “it is what it is—get used to it.”
More Benefits —
Some other real world benefits (to lists a few) that tend to emerge from cultivating a consistent, daily mindfulness practice includes a greater sense of ease & wellbeing, less emotional reactivity, lower stress levels, more empathy, & better communication & relationship with others.
It all starts with, and is maintained by, practicing letting go of the need to improve, change, or extend the moment by moment experiences of our life & by accepting everything exactly as it is right here, right now.
Try This—
Here is a 4 step process you can take on right now that can help you cultivate more acceptance:
Think of something you aren’t accepting right now. And then gently state the label of that experience in your mind. For example, if you’re not accepting that you’re angry, state in your mind, to yourself, ‘I’m feeling angry at the moment… I’m feeling angry.’ Doing this, you begin to acknowledge your feeling.
Now notice which part of your body feels tense & imagine your breath going into and out of the area of tightness. As you breathe in and out, say to yourself, ‘It’s okay. The emotion or “anger” is already here… It’s already here.’
Then consider how much you accept or acknowledge your current thoughts/feelings/sensation on a scale of 1 to 10. Ask yourself what you need to do to increase your acceptance by 1, and then do it as best you can.
Finally, become really curious about your experience. Consider: ‘Where did this feeling come from? Where do I feel it? What’s interesting about it?’ In this way, the curiosity leads you to a little more acceptance.
See what comes up for you. Did you find it challenging to accept something? Or did you find it easier? Let’s form a discussion around this on our Facebook page. If you haven’t added yourself to the group, you can do so now with this link—
Join the Private FB Group Here
Also, if you feel ready or called to do so, you can check out my previous guided meditations to practice along to help really strengthen your ability to be more accepting. You can find those meditations here —
And that’s all I got for you this week my friend. Thank you so much for taking the time to read through. Sending you love & positive vibes.
Unit next week,
Namaste.
I’m Victor.
Or the mindfulness guy.
I aim to find calm & balance in my life through inspirations between alternative Eastern traditional Buddhism styles of meditation & mindfulness, as well as modern secular styles too.
I believe that we ALL have the capacity to create greatness for ourselves & I’m willing to show you how.
you can find me hanging out on:
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~I’m here to hold space for you because you deserve it.~
Victor Padilla