The Art of Surrender

Surrender is not defeat. Surrender is not giving up.
Surrender is ‘allowing’ in the moment.

Each day, and more specifically each moment, we have an opportunity to practice
the art of surrendering. Whether we are late for an appointment, waiting for a
train, or feeling overwhelmed by life, we have a choice. We hit a fork in the
road.

We can either choose to follow that impulse of frustration, aggravation, or
pushing back, or we could let go, take a conscious deep breath, and surrender.
The purpose is not to fully eliminate the aggravating or frustrating feeling,
but to slow things down and allow ourselves to feel more centered and
calm. Even if the feelings don’t go away, we have a choice in the moment to
breathe and notice or not. We don’t have to get it right or perfect. We just have to notice and practice acceptance.

In my private practice, I help my clients experience that their emotional
terrain is not bad or wrong. It just is. We work together to see if we can find
a way to slow things down in the moment, so that they aren’t dragged along by
their emotional world. So many people experiencing hard feelings such as anxiety or depression, tell me that they are afraid to feel the feelings. They are afraid to feel it because if they do, it will overwhelm and consume them. What I have witnessed and experienced time and time again, is that if we allow ourselves to feel what we are experiencing, no matter how difficult, the feelings pass or shift more quickly. In our culture, we are often taught to ‘get over it’. I invite a new attitude of surrendering to what is.

When you hit your fork in the road, which path will you choose?

“At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.” – Maya Angelou