Our topic for this newsletter is practicing acceptance, an essential component of emotional mindfulness.  Many of us struggle with simply accepting our feelings.  It's hard for us to accept that feelings are just feelings and that they don't have to dictate our mood or how we respond.  As a consequence, we end up stuck.  In order to get to a different emotional place, we first need to accept how we feel.  Acceptance can be a powerful antidote to whatever is keeping us from making better use of the wisdom and power of our emotions.

This summer, we got a chance to practice accepting strong feelings of our own.  While vacationing with Ron's family on the Jersey shore, our ten year old Cairn terrier, Maisy, came down with pancreatitis and was hospitalized.  When we discovered just how sick she was, we started to feel guilty.  "We should be home with her," both of us thought.  We hated thinking of her in the hospital and were afraid that she might not survive.  We both felt restless and worried but struggled to keep our feelings under control.   We realized that even if we flew home to Minnesota there was not much we could do to make her better.  We had to accept the situation and the feelings that were coming up for us.  We practiced simply being present to what was coming up for us, even though it felt uncomfortable.   Acceptance opened the door to our emotional process, allowed us to move through our feelings, and be in a better place to identify what we could do to ensure that Maisy was well cared for.  We were still worried but hopeful and better able to be present with our family.  Fortunately, we returned to find our little dog fully recovered and back to her playful self.

Here are some tips you can use to help you practice acceptance: