The Power of Small by Aisling Leonard-Curtin

The Power of Small by Aisling Leonard-Curtin

Author:Aisling Leonard-Curtin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group


TODAY’S SMALL STEP

Engage in Active Acceptance

As best you can, see if you can allow an unwanted feeling, such as overwhelm, to be there. You don’t have to like it or want it—simply allow it to be as it is physically in your body, rather than getting overly consumed by what your mind tells you this feeling means.

It’s really important here to make the distinction between passive resignation (or grudging tolerance), and an actual allowing or acceptance of your unwanted emotions. If you are doing this exercise while saying something like, “I guess I’ll just have to accept this emotion, then” with disdain or numbness and more than a hint of resentment, chances are you’re engaging in passive resignation rather than active acceptance.

The act of passive resignation is not helpful for our health and well-being, and it is, in fact, disempowering. The act of active acceptance, on the other hand, is incredibly empowering. If in doubt, check in to notice if you feel more empowered or disempowered by the act of allowing. Give it time—take five minutes for this exercise and don’t judge the processes that happen during that time. Check in with how you feel at the end. Has anything shifted? If it has, then you have sat with discomfort actively. Practice this exercise on a daily basis, and notice what begins to happen between you and your relationship with uncomfortable emotions. Like any exercise, the more we flex the muscle, the more adept we become at it.



Download



Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.