Acceptance

Whew.

I am going to be completely and openly honest with you – I am struggling. Not physically, but mentally.

So much is changing in my life right now. In all of our lives.

We cant embrace our loved ones.

We cant go sit on a patio and have drinks with friends. (This is a big deal when you have just spent 5 months of winter cooped up inside.)

We don’t feel safe going to the grocery store when we are constantly questioning if the person walking down the aisle towards us is sick. Or if we are going to get a family member sick by bringing home the apples we bought that have been touched by who knows how many hands.

Many of the people we care about are losing their jobs. Or putting themselves on the front lines in the medical field.

This is the new normal right now – and it is hard to accept.

And I want to let you know that feeling this way is okay.

It is okay to feel overwhelmed. Anxious. Fearful. Sad. Worried.

It is also okay to feel hope. Blessed. Positive. Happy.

The first step in accepting this new reality is accepting that it is perfectly fine to feel exactly what you are feeling right this very second.

Once we accept these feelings and embrace them, we allow ourselves to relax. We allow ourselves to just be in the moment.

Instead of fighting the feeling, ask yourself why you are feeling that way.

What is the one word that describes how you are feeling at this exact moment in time?

Mine is helpless.

At first, I fought this emotion. I kept saying to myself “You cant worry about things out of your control”. But that wasn’t working.

Instead, I started reaching inward and asking why I was feeling this way.

I know that small businesses and restaurants are struggling right now because they are forced to close.

I know that people are dying alone. I know that people are struggling. And it pains me to know that I cant fix every single part of that and make it all better.

And I know that these things happen even when times are good for the majority of the population, but right now – it is really hitting me. Like a huge weight on my shoulders.

Okay, so now I feel extra helpless because I just reminded myself of all of the things that are making me feel this way.

But accepting this feeling allowed me to start moving forward. I started asking myself what can I do to help me feel “less” of this way. What can I control?

Well, I can spend my money by eating out and shopping (online of course!) at local businesses.

I can call my loved ones right now, when they are healthy, and tell them how much I love them and miss them.

I can donate to food banks and make note that I will volunteer my time to help these vulnerable populations when it is safe to do so.

While this may not fix all of the worlds problems, it helps me accept and move forward with the feeling of helplessness. It helps me to start developing a new feeling, hope.

I was listening to a podcast this morning that put what most of what we are going through into perspective.

We are in a transition point in our lives. Every single one of us. We are at that point where everything is uncomfortable. Everything is changing.

Live as we have known it for the past few decades is no longer.

Of COURSE we are going to struggle with this. We are going to feel every single emotion.

It is like when you just start working out. Every single part of your body is sore and you are gasping for air as you try and push yourself to run the next mile. But then something amazing happens. Your body become stronger and all of the sudden the pain becomes less. You are able to breathe easier.

Most of us accept this feeling, because we know that it will pass and if we just get through it an allow our body to adjust and develop, then we will be stronger on the other side and it will get easier.

Well we are in that first week of a new exercise routine, mentally. We are hurting in ways some of us have never hurt before.

The key is to not fight it. Allow yourself to be who you need to be in this moment. Accept the pain you are feeling and realize that you will reach the other side. And boy, how much stronger you will be.