Endure Distress (Part I)

Goal

To get through painful situations without making them worse.

Wise Mind “ACCEPTS” (Fulton State Hospital, p. 61-62)

To endure painful events and emotions when you cannot make things better right away, distract yourself by using “ACCEPTS”:

Activities (keep busy)
Contributing (get your mind off yourself)
Comparisons (could be worse...)
Emotions (do something that makes you feel differently)
Pushing away (block out thoughts and feelings)
Thoughts (distracting thoughts)
Senses (be aware of your senses)

Acceptance (Fulton State Hospital, p. 71)

Freedom from suffering requires acceptance from deep within of what is. Pain creates suffering only when you refuse to accept the pain. Deciding to endure the moment is acceptance. Acceptance of reality as it is requires an act of choice. You have to turn your mind and commit to acceptance over and over and over again.

Acceptance Exercise (Fulton State Hospital, p. 72)

Instructions: Identify the following:

• Realities that I am refusing to accept?
• Behaviors that I do when I am refusing to accept a reality (giving up, manipulating, arguing, etc)?
• How I experience suffering when I refuse to accept reality?

Learn more about “ACCEPTS” by watching the following video: