Practicing mindful acceptance is one of the main methods of mindfulness meditation. Mindful acceptance as it is used in Emotion Efficacy Therapy (EET) is a way of reframing and responding to emotional events without reacting, judging, or controlling the experience. Learning mindful acceptance means respecting the present moment awareness process, and acknowledging that everything is or can be temporary.
No one can deny that weekends are wonderful. But Sunday evening dread can easily overwhelm the blissful feelings of a weekend well-spent. That familiar pit in your stomach that resurfaces every Sunday is known as the “Sunday scaries” and it’s more common than you may think and can be completely re-imagined to reduce stress and anaxitey using a mindful acceptance meditation.
Learn How To Practice Mindful Acceptance Meditation
To Release Resistance And Stress
You might think of it as training for our day-to-day life experiences. Although we don’t have control of the external weather, we can make our own internal weather to experience inner peace.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Viktor E. Frankl.
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A surprising 81 percent of Americans report feeling serious anxiety on Sunday night! The Sunday scaries are a form of anticipatory anxiety about the work week ahead — and all of the stressors that come with it.
These anxious feelings can put a damper on your Sunday. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to reduce Sunday anxiety and reap the benefits of a stress-free weekend. For example, listening to the Meditation Life Skills Podcast can relieve stress through mindfulness and meditation. Here are some other stress-busting strategies to try!
Move Your Body
Exercising is one of the best things you can do to relieve stress. You don’t have to sweat through a serious workout to enjoy the mood-boosting benefits of movement. Even a short walk around the block can reduce your stress levels. You can use exercise to increase and learn mindful acceptance of stress-relieving effects, try walking in a natural environment like a park or forest. Studies show that spending time in nature offers a variety of positive benefits for the mind and body!
While any exercise is better than none, Healthline explains that moderate – to high-intensity exercise is associated with superior stress-busting results. Try cycling, running, or powering through a bodyweight workout in your living room to trigger the production of feel-good endorphins. Listening to music during your workout can help you stay energized and motivated. Wireless headphones are a must, so treat yourself to a pair before your next sweat session!
Practice Mindful Acceptance
Practicing mindful acceptance is another great way to relieve stress. Most people respond to stress and anxiety by feeling shame or sadness — in essence, we feel bad for feeling bad! You may try to fight anxiety or brush it off because “it’s all in your head,” but struggling against these negative emotions only serves to invalidate your feelings and intensify them further.
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Avoid seeing anxiety as something that you need to fight or beat by using mindful acceptance. Instead, accept that you feel anxious and acknowledge that it’s completely okay. By accepting how you feel without passing judgment, your anxiety will naturally take a back seat and you’ll be better able to cope.
Meditate to Improve Your Cognitive Control
Mindfulness is a skill that takes practice to master. It requires a lot of emotional awareness and cognitive control to accept how you’re feeling instead of reacting to your emotions unconsciously. Meditating is a great way to build this skill!
Meditation Success: 10 Easy Guidelines You Can Use Today
As Mindful.org explains, a mindful acceptance meditation is all about maintaining a gentle awareness of your thoughts and emotions and watching them float by without judgment. This can help you develop a better understanding of yourself and the thought processes that trigger anxiety about the coming work week.
To get started with a mindful acceptance meditation, find a comfortable seat and sit quietly for a few minutes. Focus your attention on your breath and the sensation of air moving through your body. Most importantly, be kind to your wandering mind!
Practice observing each thought as it comes and goes instead of wrestling with it. Guided meditations and calming music can be helpful if you’re new to the practice.
How To Meditate Properly Like An Expert In 3 Minutes Or Less
Beat Bedtime Procrastination
If you experience the Sunday scaries, there’s a good chance you have a hard time going to bed Sunday night. Perhaps you lie awake all night worrying about work. Or maybe you find yourself staying up too late, watching TV, or scrolling on social media to prolong your Sunday.
If the latter is true, you may be a victim of sleep procrastination. Sleep procrastination is the process of denying yourself sleep for no reason other than to score some extra free time or put off the next day for as long as possible.
While it can be tough to crawl into bed, admitting that your Sunday has come to an end and knowing it will be Monday when you wake up, getting enough sleep is essential. Sleeping well on Sunday night by learning and practicing mindful Acceptance will make your work week much more enjoyable! You’ll be more mentally alert, emotionally balanced, and better able to handle the stressors facing you after a good sleep.
Establish an Evening Routine
Beat bedtime procrastination by establishing an enjoyable evening routine. A routine will help you draw a line between your waking life and sleep so you can shut down all of those activities offering an excuse to stay up — like binge-watching shows, working, cleaning the house, eating, or playing video games. Set an alarm in the evening and start your routine as soon as it goes off — and not hitting snooze!
Mondays are universally hated. While there’s nothing you can do to avoid the most dreaded day of the week, there are steps you can take to change how you feel about it. When you feel that knot growing in your stomach, try exercising, mindful acceptance techniques, or moving through a relaxing evening routine to relieve stress and get a better handle on your emotions.
Do you want to learn how to meditate or enhance your existing practice? Check out the Meditation Life Skills Podcast for free guided meditations, tips, and soothing soundscapes!
