The best part of acceptance is that once you are able to accept a hurtful truth, you’ve opened up opportunities. The worst part is that accepting also means facing your feelings. Trying to avoid pain or pretend everything is okay, doesn’t allow you to move through the hurt. Accepting how you are feeling and facing the negative emotions allows you to move on.
So what does dealing with your emotions mean? Here are 4 helpful ways to manage fear, sadness and anger effectively:
- Pause. Don’t act on feelings right away. Stop yourself with a pause, to think things through. Sometimes waiting 24 hours can help put things in perspective.
- Acknowledge what you are feeling. Are you angry that things didn’t go your way, or hurt by another’s actions? Identify how you feel and know it is ok to feel that way.
- Think. What are healthy ways you can make yourself feel better? A few examples are to make a gratitude list, let yourself cry, listen to music or write about how you feel.
- Help. Take an action. Don’t just think about what you can do, do it.
“Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be a way through it.” Michael J. Fox