What is acceptance?

A lot of folks I work with really struggle with the concept of “acceptance”. I wonder if you do too?

Let’s start with what acceptance is not.
Acceptance is not “giving up”.
Acceptance is not “taking the easy way out”.
Acceptance is not the same as “putting up with it”.
Acceptance is not the same as avoidance.

So what is acceptance?

Acceptance is more about “holding space” for things.
Acceptance is more like the clutch or neutral gear in the gear box to allow one to shift gears.

Without it, we may not arrive at our desired destination at a timely manner. There may less psychological flexibility with more psychological rigidity.

This can then lead to a lot of emotional pain and frustration, impact our biopsychosocial health, and reduce our effectiveness.

I wonder if you know what I mean.