A&SEPTANGE ys: AYQIRANGE Acceptance means opening up and making room for painful feelings and sensations. You leam how to drop the struggle with them, give them some breathing space, and let them be there without getting caught up in them, or ‘overwhelmed by them. What's wrong with avoiding our uncomfortable emotions and thoughts??7? © Over time you begin to avoid many situations, people, experiences and places that might bring negative emotion to your mind, stir it or remind you of it. ©The fear of the future negative experience becomes a negative experience in itsetf. © Emotional avoidance often involves denying the truth. Denying the truth does not make the truth less real. ‘© Avoidance lengthens the period of anticipation, and anticipatory anxiety is usually more overwhelming than the actual situation being anticipated, Willingness and acceptance go hand in hand. Instead of trying to feel better, willingness involves learning how to feel better. Willingness is: Embracing, sitting with, walking with, honoring inhaling, carrying your pain. Willingness is not: wanting, conditional, “trying”, a matter of belief, self-deceptive, manipulative resisting, ignoring, forgetting, buying into, giving into, and believing/not believing your pain. Which of the following sentences promotsacceptance: “Ihope I can go to the party I'm nervous about." "want to go to the party but I'm nervous.” “Lwill ry to ignore my anxiety and go to the party.” “Lwon't feel nervous at the party.” “Lam willing to feel nervous at the party.” Step 1. Awareness of Acceptance or Avoidance ‘Assess for thoughts or feelings of .. May mean that ... Annoyance, frustration, anger, pity, injustice You are not bei ti “Why Me?" "Thisisn’t fair” Itshouldn’t be this way” Sepa eerereen een cee of the situation ‘Muscle tension or tightness. Other unpleasant physical sensations Step 2: Commitment Inner commitment to acceptance: Dedication to embracing an acceptance-based view Is not the actual act of accepting a situation. Acceptance is a process not an action. You can practice acceptance by ‘committing to actions that go towards values not towards avoidance.Step 3: Practice To turn any new behavior into routine, practice is essential. Below are some important things to keep in mind when practicing acceptance. Important Factors Examples Frequency Using acceptance techniques multiple times a minute or day, as needed. Consistency Practicing acceptance on a daily versus weekly basis. Focus on the process NOT the results “Truly accepting an emotion, thought, physical sensation means you are not trying to get rid of it. {you focus on symptom reduction you are not practicing acceptance! HOMEWORK: Record attempted solutions and their long-term effects Date, Time ‘Ona scale of -10how | Were you able tomake room | What was the fong-lorm effect of ‘uch did you struggle with | for these feelings even though | how you dealt with your feelings? Feolings, Sensations these feelings/sensations | they were unpleasant? Did it enhance fife oF worsen it? ‘What did you do about | If so, what did you do to What events triggered these? | them? ‘accept them?