Okay, so today I wanted to try out this “radical acceptance” thing I’ve been hearing about. It’s supposed to help you deal with stuff you can’t change, you know, just accepting it fully. Sounds simple, but… yeah, not so much.
My Little Experiment
I decided to start small. My “practice target” was the ridiculously slow Wi-Fi at my favorite coffee shop. Seriously, it takes like five minutes to load a single webpage. It drives me nuts! Every. Single. Time.
So, I went there, ordered my usual latte, and found a cozy corner. I opened my laptop, ready to get some work done, and… boom. The spinning wheel of doom. My usual reaction? I start to fume. I mutter under my breath, glare at the router, and generally feel my blood pressure rise. This time, though, I tried something different.
- I took a deep breath (or five).
- I told myself, “Okay, the Wi-Fi is slow. That’s the reality right now.”
- I tried to notice my frustration, but without judgment. Like, “Yep, I’m feeling annoyed. That’s okay.”
- I repeated (internally, of course, I’m not that weird) “It is what it is. I accept this slow Wi-Fi.”
It… was surprisingly hard. My brain kept wanting to argue. “But it shouldn’t be this slow! They should fix it! This is unacceptable!” I had to gently redirect my thoughts back to acceptance. Over and over again.
The (Slightly) Surprising Result
Did it magically make the Wi-Fi faster? Nope. Did it completely eliminate my frustration? Not entirely. But… it did help. I felt a little calmer, a little less agitated. I managed to get some work done, even with the delays. I even enjoyed my latte more, because I wasn’t so focused on my internal Wi-Fi rage.
I think the key was acknowledging my feelings, but not letting them take over. It wasn’t about pretending to be happy about the slow Wi-Fi, but about accepting it as a fact, and choosing not to let it ruin my whole * I relized I should * today is just one of my experiment.
It’s definitely a work in progress. I’m not suddenly a Zen master of acceptance. But, I think I’m onto something. I’m going to keep practicing this, maybe with other minor annoyances, and see where it takes me. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll learn to roll with the punches a little * you all can try.
