Join me on a journey towards a simple, sustainable and meaningful life. Throughout November we will be exploring each category of the A-Z guide to a simple, sustainable and meaningful life starting today with A… Acceptance.

This guide has been written from the point of view of someone living with chronic illness but the topics and concepts discussed are relevant to everyone and anyone.

A is for Acceptance

Life becomes difficult and complicated when you are always struggling against your own reality. One of the most crucial areas to always be mindful of is the need to be realistic and accept your reality for what it is.

This can be an extremely difficult concept, especially as it’s human nature to compare ourselves to each other and to want our life to be perfect. When you suffer from a chronic illness that just adds another layer of change and uncertainty to life.

When I talk about acceptance, I’m talking about taking a long, hard look at your own life and realising that, although not perfect, you do have something going for you.

You may be like me; living with 24/7 pain, unable to work full time, and struggling with the concept of modifying or letting go of certain dreams you had for your future.

You may be living with a young family which might make it difficult for you to dedicate as much time to activities you feel are important.

You may be working so hard that you feel you don’t get to spend any time with family and friends.

What we’re talking about today is acknowledging where we are, accepting that reality, and accepting that some things about it you can’t change.

This is a process we all have to go through regularly. Some of us may need to remind ourselves daily, others maybe once a year, but whenever we feel our stress and anxiety raising we should step back and check whether we are really accepting our reality or if we are fighting to be someone we’re not.

Acceptance is a key step to reducing stress, anxiety and complications in life. By accepting where we are now we can begin to consider where we want to be and focus on the things we can change to get there.

Yes, it’s important that we acknowledge everything that’s happening in our lives that may impact on our decisions, but for the things we can’t change we need to accept them and move forward in whatever way we can.

Your homework today is to step back and take a look at your own life.

Is there anything there that you need to work on accepting and letting go?