Acceptance Meditation

Hold the person, situation, or behavior that is bothering you in your mind.

Speaking kindly to yourself — as you would a dear friend — repeat to yourself with 3 long, deep inhales and exhales:

“I allow this situation/person/behavior to be as it is right now.”

Then, still speaking kindly to yourself — as you would a dear friend — say to yourself 3 times, with 3 inhales and exhales:

“I surrender my resistance to this situation as it is right now.”

Now, take a moment to identify and label your emotions around the troublesome situation. When thinking about what is bothering you, simply feel all your feelings about it.

Again, speaking kindly to yourself — as you would a dear friend — say to yourself 3 times, with 3 inhales and exhales:

“I allow my feelings to be as they are right now.” You can be specific, e.g., “I allow my irritation [or anger, or whatever you are feeling] to be as it is right now.”

Still speaking kindly to yourself — as you would a dear friend — say to yourself 3 times, with 3 inhales and exhales:

“I surrender resistance to my feelings as they are right now.” Or, for example, “I surrender resistance to my anger as it is right now.”

Finally, recognize that your experiences and feelings make you human — that you are a part of a common humanity. For example, “People all over the world feel this way in these situations.”