“Mindfulness” is probably one of the biggest buzzwords in the past year. We talk about how we can use mindfulness to help ourselves lose weight or connect with our bodies during workouts or even keep our mouth shut when we want to say something but shouldn’t! So, we get that mindfulness is helpful, but can we use it for something as tough as, say, loving ourselves more? I checked out Radical Acceptance: Embrace Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Branch to learn more.
Tara Branch is a clinical psychologist and has spent many years studying and teaching meditation. In this book, she lays out her revolutionary idea of the concept of Radical Acceptance. This is like mindfulness plus. She writes, “Radical Acceptance Is the willingness to experience ourselves and our life as it is. A moment of Radical Acceptance is a moment of genuine freedom.” I love the idea that we can completely accept ourselves, even when we are feeling really negative emotions. Branch teaches us that no matter how
negative we feel, we can completely accept our feelings and thoughts and learn to love ourselves more and be kinder to ourselves. I think we all need a little of that!
“Imperfection is not our personal problem – it is a natural part of existing.” -Tara Branch
There were a few things I loved about this book. Radical Acceptance is not easy. This requires a lot of discipline and a complete change of mindset to truly achieve this state. She provides a ton of examples both from her life and lives of her students and friends to show their transformations when they used Radical Acceptance in their own lives. No matter how difficult life gets or how much it seems they are wounded, they used Radical Acceptance to love themselves more and to achieve a better life. I also loved her comments on our culture and explanations of why so many people in the West seem to hate themselves. She sheds light on some unpleasant things that cause our negativity toward ourselves.
One thing I was really inspired by was that she provides many example meditations and pieces of advice to build up your practice of Radical Acceptance. I would sometimes finish a chapter and think, “Whoa. This is going to be so hard.” But then the meditation supported me in the process of reflection and mindfulness, and the more I tried it, the easier it got. Even if I may not be able to completely dedicate my life to Radical Acceptance like Branch has, I can incorporate the meditations and the principles into my daily life.
This book doesn’t give you an easy solution to all your problems, but it does give you a way to be more mindful about your feelings and be kinder to yourself as you go through life. I know that you don’t mind hard work if the reward is great, and I believe that Radical Acceptance is a beautiful way to live a more fulfilling life. Definitely take your time to pick up this book and really give it a go!
Want to read another book about changing your life? Check out my review on the hottest self-help book this year, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.
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