Trauma-Informed Toolkit: Distress Tolerance – Radical Acceptance

Trauma Informed Toolkit: Distress Tolerance – Radical Acceptance

Radical acceptance is about accepting life on life’s terms and not resisting what you cannot change. Instead of focusing on how you would like something to be different, you should instead recognize and accept the problem or situation as it is. Accepting reality is difficult when life is painful and no one wants to experience pain, disappointment, sadness, or loss. But these emotions are a part of life and when you attempt to avoid or resist the emotions, you add suffering to your pain and can even build the emotion bigger with your thoughts. Learning to accept the problems that are out of your control will lead to less anxiety, anger, and sadness when dealing with them. For resources on bringing mindfulness into your day and building your trauma-informed toolbox, check out the distress tolerance skills below.