There is a lot that can be said here, but I am all for trying to keep things simple where we can keep them simple. I once heard to remember to KISS: Keep It Simple, Silly.
The next time you get a case of the “shoulds” or “shouldn’t’s” and want to take a big, stinky, dump of a “should” all over yourself, remember that radical acceptance is most powerful when we focus on what’s in our power to do in this present moment. We intentionally release what is not in our power. We will use the Serenity Prayer as a framework for applying Radical Acceptance as a lifestyle to decrease stress:
God, (Creator/Higher Power/Something Greater Than The Way I Feel In This Moment)
Grant me the serenity (I choose to respond to this stress by setting my mind on peace),
To accept the things I cannot change (I give myself permission to choose to release what is not in my power, including circumstances, people, and everything else that is not me,)
The courage to change the things I can (Because I embrace the power to act in what’s in my power to do in this moment, and that is enough),
And the wisdom to the know the difference (By remembering my boundaries, self-worth, and abilities that have helped me through other stressful circumstances, I open myself up to Wisdom and Peace).
I seek to discover an honest, authentic power and use this power to choose me as I develop and grow into a new being. I radically accept this is my power: I am everything I have been waiting for. I am my own rescue when I act upon what’s in my power, and release what is not, for the act of release is also powerful.
