Nurse Maureen‘s Health Show

The Art of Acceptance

• Maureen McGrath

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Can accepting reality truly transform your mental well-being? Join us in this episode as we explore the profound impact of embracing our thoughts, emotions, and experiences without judgment. We'll uncover how this practice can significantly lower stress levels and enhance emotional resilience. Delving into the realm of social and interpersonal acceptance, we discuss how embracing others' flaws and differences can lead to deeper, more authentic connections. Drawing from the wisdom of Stoic philosophy, we illustrate how acceptance as a virtue can enrich our relationships and foster a sense of belonging within our communities.

But acceptance isn't just about others—it's about ourselves, too. Discover how self-acceptance, including acknowledging both our strengths and weaknesses, can elevate our self-esteem and overall well-being. This episode sheds light on adapting to life's inevitable changes, losses, and unexpected events. Whether you're facing health challenges or personal setbacks, embracing acceptance can pave the way to inner peace and resilience. Tune in for valuable insights and personal stories that highlight the transformative power of acceptance in overcoming life's myriad challenges.

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Speaker 1:

Ladies, are you looking for a natural way to support your fertility journey and strengthen your pelvic floor? The Ivy Health Center has the ultimate solution for you, introducing acupuncture for fertility and pelvic floor strength, a holistic approach designed to improve women's lives. This non-invasive therapy can balance your body's energy, enhance your fertility and address pelvic floor issues like urinary incontinence and reduced vaginal sensation. In just a few sessions, imagine reclaiming your hope, confidence, comfort and sense of well-being. Let acupuncture help you experience a natural boost to your reproductive health and pelvic stability, and feel empowered on your path to parenthood and overall wellness. Visit theivca to schedule your consultation today. That's theivca. Don't wait any longer. Nurture your fertility, strengthen your pelvic floor and transform your life at the IV Health Center.

Speaker 1:

Ladies, do you leak with cough, sneeze or exercise? Did you know that leaking urine is never normal? Hi, it's maureen mcgrath, registered nurse and nurse continence advisor. It's time to stop letting bladder leaks hold you back, and time to say goodbye to bladder leaks and hello to moxie patch, a revolutionary new device to treat stress urinary incontinence. Moxie Patch is ultra-discreet, effective, reusable and eco-friendly, empowering you to live life to the fullest, free from the worries and limitations of stress urinary incontinence. With Moxie Patch, you can choose freedom from the hassle of bulky pads and embrace life again. Stop letting bladder leaks hold you back. Say goodbye to embarrassing moments and hello to unstoppable confidence with Moxie Patch. For more information or to order your Moxie Patch, go to MoxiePatchcom today and discover a new level of confidence. Moxiepatchcom, because you deserve to feel confident. Moxie Patch is also available at select retailers and on amazoncom.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to another episode of my health show podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in. I'm Nurse Maureen. I'm a registered nurse, nurse, continence advisor and a sexual health educator. I see patients in my clinical practice and I also see them virtually or online. Oftentimes people come to me because they may have low sexual desire, they may have other issues in their relationship, they may have medical conditions that impact their relationship, or they may have problems that they just want to talk about. They just want to be able to tell somebody about them. And oftentimes I see a commonality between some of these issues, especially around relationships or relationships ending, or when people feel that a relationship needs to end, or they want a relationship to end, or somebody else has decided that the relationship needs to end and they're working their way towards something that's incredibly important in life and that is acceptance.

Speaker 1:

And it takes a little while to get there because acceptance is a complex and multifaceted concept that can be understood in various contexts, such as psychology, philosophy, spirituality and relationships. So, the psychological acceptance and that's probably the most difficult part, because how many times are you playing games in your head? Or are you playing that record on repeat, or are you trying to think it through and hope for a different outcome? Well, psychological acceptance the definition in psychology often refers to the acknowledgement and embracing of one's thoughts, feelings and experiences, without judgment. It's about being present with whatever arises, whether that's negative or positive. It's a key component of mental health acceptance or positive, it's a key component of mental health acceptance. Sometimes we just have to accept things that we cannot control, and there is a serenity prayer for those of you who are not familiar with that. Grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference is basically how it goes. It allows individuals to cope with life's challenges more effectively by reducing resistance to reality. If we're not accepting something, it's very hard to move oncom to get past something. And when you accept something, especially something that's out of your control. It can lead to lower stress levels and greater emotional resilience. Acceptance plays a central role in therapies like acceptance and commitment therapy or act therapy, where the focus is on accepting one's internal experiences while committing to actions aligned with personal values. How many times has a friendship ended, a job ended, a relationship ended and you were so upset and angry? And I'm not saying you don't need to grieve and go through the process, but eventually one needs to get to acceptance in order to be able to heal and in order to be able to move on.

Speaker 1:

There's a social and interpersonal acceptance that's also very important and that refers to being accepted and respected by others in a community or a social group. It's about fitting in and being acknowledged as a valued member of that group. It can be influenced by factors like conformity, cultural norms and societal expectations, and that lack of social acceptance can lead to feelings of isolation, rejection or alienation. We all want to belong, we all want to be a part of something, whether that's in high school with the cool kids or whether that, if you so desire to be with the cool kids and it also depends on your definition of the cool kids but we want to belong to. You know people at work. We want to belong to our families. We want to belong to friend groups.

Speaker 1:

Acceptance in relationships is crucial for trust and connection. It involves accepting the other person's flaws, differences and individuality, fostering a more authentic and supportive relationship. How many times have you wanted to change somebody? Your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends? Certain things just drive you crazy. Well, nobody is perfect, and everybody defines this perfectionism, this elusive perfectionism, in a different way. You look at people and think they might be a perfectionist, but they're all about cleanliness and tidiness and organization. But they may not be perfect in other aspects of their lives. They may lose their cool or lose their temper, for example, but that's not important to them.

Speaker 1:

In living up to this perfectionistic way, there's also a philosophical aspect to acceptance. In Stoic philosophy, acceptance is seen as an essential virtue. The Stoics advocated for accepting things outside of one's control and focusing on what one can influence. Well, don't we do that as well, stoic or not? In existentialism, philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus discuss acceptance in the context of embracing the absurdity and inherent meaninglessness of life and finding personal meaning despite it.

Speaker 1:

And isn't so much in life meaningless? I'm seeing a lot of posts on Instagram lately about all of the things that we have consumed. We spend a certain amount of our lives consuming all of these things and then another part of our lives getting rid of all that we collected. There seems to be a time in life when it's important what kind of car you have and how many of this you have, how many handbags you might have designer handbags, of course how many pairs of shoes that you might have, or what your children are wearing things that are meaningless. But there are people who you know they don't conform. They don't care what other people think. I've always had tremendous respect for those kinds of people that really are just like don't care, doesn't matter, that's fine, that's the way I'm doing it. Love those people, because that is a sign of self-esteem, really healthy self-esteem.

Speaker 1:

Moving on to spiritual acceptance Many spiritual traditions emphasize acceptance as a form of surrender to a higher power or the universe, for example. In AA, for example, they surrender to a higher power and it's up to the person to actually choose their higher power. In Buddhism, acceptance is related to the concept of non-attachment and embracing the impermanence of life. And isn't that the truth? The impermanence of life, and there's no guarantees in life. That's why I'm not a big planner. Way down the road, because I think you know, many slip the twigs between the cup and the lip. In other words, if you've never heard that expression before, many things can happen between now and then. You know, I mean even if sometimes I'll hear myself say, okay, see you in a half an hour, and I want to say, god willing, if I should be so lucky, because life isn't guaranteed and when somebody's time is up, their time is up.

Speaker 1:

In mindfulness practices, acceptance is about observing and accepting one's thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them, and this can lead to inner peace and clarity, and there's no greater gift, in my opinion, than inner peace. I want to go to our sponsors right now, just quickly, and then I'm going to come back because we're going to talk about a very important concept self-acceptance. If you enjoy the show, there's one simple way you can show your support Just hit the follow button on the app you're using to listen to the show. Right now, I'm working so hard to take everything on the show to the next level, and your follow means a lot to me. It's the only free thing I'll ever ask of you and it truly makes a big difference. Thank you sincerely for your support. I truly appreciate it. Sincerely for your support. I truly appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

Ladies, are you struggling with symptoms due to a weak pelvic floor? The IV Health Center has the ultimate solution for you Introducing Acupuncture for Pelvic Floor Strength, a holistic approach designed to transform women's lives. Acupuncture treatments can effectively address issues like urinary incontinence, reduced vaginal sensation and more in just a few sessions. Imagine what reclaiming your comfort, confidence and quality of life would look and feel like. With acupuncture for pelvic floor strength, you can experience relief and rejuvenation like never before. Say goodbye to leaking urine when coughing, sneezing, laughing or running, and enjoy improved pelvic health and stability. Visit theivca to schedule your consultation today. That's theivca. Don't wait any longer. Reclaim your life at the IV Health Center. Ladies, do you leak with cough, sneeze and or exercise? Did you know that leaking urine is never normal? Hi, it's Maureen McGrath, registered nurse and nurse continence advisor.

Speaker 1:

It's time to stop letting bladder leaks hold you back, and time to say goodbye to bladder leaks and hello to Moxie Patch, a revolutionary new device to treat stress urinary incontinence. Moxie Patch is ultra discreet, effective, reusable and eco-friendly, empowering you to live life to the fullest, free from the worries and limitations of stress, urinary incontinence. With Moxipatch, you can choose freedom from the hassle of bulky pads and embrace life again. Stop letting bladder leaks hold you back. Say goodbye to embarrassing moments and hello to unstoppable confidence with Moxie Patch. For more information or to order your Moxie Patch, go to MoxiePatchcom today and discover a new level of confidence. Moxiepatchcom, because you deserve to feel confident. Moxie Patch is also available at select retailers and on Amazoncom. Welcome back.

Speaker 1:

We're talking about acceptance. It's often extremely difficult to in fact get to acceptance. It's not easy, but it is so, so important, incredibly important. And you know it takes a little while and it takes going through all sorts of going through all sorts of different feelings and different emotions. How often do we think, when one door closes, another opens, and how often do you look upon the closed door, that you don't see the one which has opened for you, and that's from Alexander Graham Bell. In other words, don't get stuck looking at what's behind you. Keep moving forward and stay open to infinite possibilities. Embrace the unknown and be ready for whatever the universe has in store for you. Everything will be as it should. Life. You're exactly where you should be in life, as the Buddhists say, and you know, we just have to accept that. You know so many doors close and we think, oh my goodness, it's the worst thing. I deal with it a lot in my clinical practice, where I see patients virtually and online or in person and they are trying to deal with a breakup and I say, a year from now, you are going to be so happy that this happened and they can't imagine it, but happens every time.

Speaker 1:

Self-acceptance involves recognizing and embracing all aspects of oneself, including strengths, weaknesses and imperfections. It's all about loving and accepting yourself without needing to meet external standards or expectations, and there's so many benefits to that. It's critical for self-esteem and overall wellbeing. It reduces the pressure to be perfect and allows for personal growth and self-compassion. How do we learn? We learn from our failures. We don't learn from our successes. We learn from our failures and you know life changes. Life is. You know life alters. You know nothing really stays the same. Life is static and acceptance is often necessary when dealing with change, loss or unexpected events. I mean some people who lose people that they love, young people who lose their spouse at a very early age. It's very difficult, but it involves acknowledging reality as it is and that takes time rather than how one wishes it to be, which can facilitate coping and adaptation.

Speaker 1:

Acceptance in all of its forms is about embracing reality, whether that's in the realm of personal emotions, relationships or life circumstances, and it's a powerful tool for fostering peace, resilience, and. And it's a powerful tool for fostering peace, resilience and growth. And it's not an easy concept, acceptance. But, if you notice, when you get to that place where I have no control over this, I have to accept it, I have to embrace it. It's incredibly important and it's that active embracing or coming to terms with a situation, condition how many people are diagnosed with stage four cancer? Coming to terms with that or a reality somebody has left you in a relationship or there's been a loss, whether it's in oneself, in relationship or in your life circumstances. It involves recognizing and allowing things to be as they are, without trying to resist change or deny them, and embracing all aspects of oneself, including strengths, weaknesses and imperfections. It's ultimately, at the end of the day, it's about being kind to yourself and not overly critical or judgmental, allowing yourself to feel emotions without trying to suppress or deny them, and that means the positive ones and the negative ones as well. Recognizing and accepting things that are beyond your control is crucial in dealing with challenges, loss or change, and we're all going to experience those.

Speaker 1:

Thanks so much for tuning into this episode. Feel free to email me, nursetalkathotmailcom. Or you can text the show as well. Anyway, I'm Nurse Maureen and you've been listening to my Health Show Podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in. I'm Maureen McGrath and you have been listening to the Sunday Night Health Show Podcast. If you want to hear this podcast or any other segment again, feel free to go to iTunes, spotify or Google play or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. You can always email me, nursetalkathotmailcom. Or text the show 604-765-9287. That's 604-765-9287 or head on over to my website for more information, maureenmcgrathcom. It's been my pleasure to spend this time with you.

Speaker 1:

Ladies, are you looking for a natural way to support your fertility journey? At the IV Health Center, they have the ultimate solution for you Introducing Acupuncture for Fertility, a holistic approach designed to transform your reproductive health. This non-invasive therapy can help balance your body's energy and enhance your fertility in just a few sessions. Imagine reclaiming your hope, confidence and sense of wellbeing. With acupuncture for fertility, you can experience a natural boost to your reproductive health and feel empowered on your path to parenthood. Visit theivca to schedule your consultation today. That's theivca. Don't wait. Nurture your fertility and transform your life at the IV Health Center.

Speaker 1:

Ladies, do you leak urine with cough, sneeze and or exercise? Leaking urine is never normal. Hi, I'm Maureen McGrath, registered nurse and nurse continence advisor. Ladies, it's time to stop letting bladder leaks hold you back. Say goodbye to embarrassing moments and hello to Moxie Patch, the revolutionary solution for stress urinary incontinence. Moxie Patch is ultra-discreet, effective, reusable and eco-friendly, empowering you to live life to the fullest without worries or limitations. So, ladies, ditch the bulky pads and embrace freedom with Moxie Patch. Experience unstoppable confidence today. For more information or to order your Moxie Patch, visit MoxiePatchcom. Visit MoxiePatchcom. That's MoxiePatchcom, because you deserve to feel great again. Moxie Patch is also available online at select retailers and on Amazoncom. Get your Moxie Patch today. You'll be glad you did.