The Beauty of Acceptance 

Acceptance is something we all struggle with as humans, from things as simple as the weather, to accepting the loss of a loved one, it is a common struggle amongst us all. Throughout my life, I have struggled to accept things, but recently I have realised why learning to accept things you cannot control can lead to an overall better life.

So, why is it better to accept the things you cannot control?

We went to see Souths play the Roosters the other night at ANZ Stadium and we left in what we thought was plenty of time to get there. Our coffee shop Charmed by Redfern sponsors the Rabbitohs, so we were also invited to a corporate dinner.

We headed off and was advised by the annoying maps voice it would take 40 mins. Yeah right. It took an hour to get 3km! The traffic was horrendous, and we looked up live traffic thinking there had to be an accident to explain this nightmare, but nothing popped up.

Peter, my husband, just hates being late (hates it) but you can’t do anything about traffic. Like the weather. No matter how much planning you do, you cannot control it. A good friend of mine’s daughter was married the other week. The Saturday when it bucketed down… I sent her a text that day to send her my best wishes and let her know I was thinking about her.

I spoke to her after the weekend and I asked her if she got wet, to which she replied yes. ‘Oh no’ was my reaction. And her reply was ‘we all just decided to go with it’. Well, what else could you do?

I guess you could have a toddler tantrum but what will that achieve?

Nothing.

I am a bit of a control freak; I like to fix stuff. Entering perimenopause and menopause has forced me to rethink things. My body is going to do what it will do and whilst I continue to try to manage my symptoms I can only do so much.

To have a better quality of life, I have learned acceptance.  What is that saying?

‘Learn to accept the things I cannot change.’

I used to look at photos of myself a few years ago when my body looked a bit firmer or a bit tighter. Clothes fitted a bit looser. I would say what did I do wrong, how do I get back to that? These are the questions I would ask myself in my head. What if I did nothing wrong? What if it was just the way it is, just the way It was meant to be. When I did this, it would take the pressure off, and remind me to relax and enjoy life. Focus on other things which are more important. I used to get so upset and angry when I got a hot flush. Bad idea, as my stress level would increase, and this would make it worse.

With our bodies constantly changing due to menopause and life itself, it is important to reduce stress where you can, and place your energy into moving forward, instead of fighting with the past.

A quote I love to live by is as follows:

“May life, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Wanting to know the secrets of how to learn acceptance and change your life, or would like to know how to manage menopausal symptoms, email me at cathy@femmefitale.com and book a FREE 30 min consultation.