In the light of our natural relaxing smoothie-special Cannabis in A Cup, we could not help but wonder why it is that CBD oil is having such a big moment in health and wellness-wonderland. Are we really that stressed? We are always going somewhere. Working towards something. Oh how addicted we are to chasing our goals. Does that mean we can fix everything we do't like? Luckily, no. Especially when it comes to our personal lives, personalities, relationships, family, there is only so much we can do. External control is not that easy to get by. And this is where we turn to acceptance. 

Acceptance, mind you, does not mean complacency. It does not mean you need to take sh*t from people either. It just means looking the current reality dead in the eye instead of fighting it. It’s one of life’s paradoxes: only through radical acceptance is radical change possible. When all is said in done, instead of trying to control a situation, accepting it can be a lot more liberating. Instead of trying to change it, sometimes the most impact you can have is just to sit back and trust the process of whatever is happening. How? To begin, have a look at this exercise. 

1. What are you resisting?

It can be other people, your thoughts, other people's thoughts (popular one), your emotional body, your physical body. Start with becoming aware of what it is you are clinging on to or turning away from, what you are scared of, what it is you want to fix. 

2. How has this served you?

Has you hating your body ever helped you lose weight? Or judging yourself for feeling a certain emotion made you feel better? Has resisting people made them less annoying? Not accepting a reality usually comes with a side of frustration or anxiety. And we tend to be in a rush with it too. 

3. How would you feel if you accept the situation?

Now picture how it would feel to not feel any resistance towards that situation at all. All of the above, these things can take time. Progress takes time, and trying to rush it usually works counterproductive. Resistance a.k.a. non-acceptance generally does not really help. This does not mean that you should settle, by any means. It means that you allow yourself to detach from the situation, even when things are not how you would like them to be. You can still work towards something, but doing so from a place of acceptance is to better your tomorrow without resisting today. You can try to become fitter, even though you accept your body as it is now. You can try and work on your relationships, even though you understand this is where you guys are right now. Or you can train yourself into learning to let go and let the situation resolve itself.

In the buddhist meditation practice Vipassana, where you enter a 10 day retreat in silence, you learn to accept the reality as it is, not as you would like it to be. This meditation form has been proven to rewire your brain into many physical and mental benefits. To find more info about the technique or even (you brave soul) subscribe, click here. A slightly milder technique is provided by the acceptance pack in the meditation app Headspace. 

Accepting the changing nature of every reality allows you to detach from it, and just enjoy or endure it is as it, without any craving or aversion. Life is one big dance between effort and surrender, between chasing and letting go. It's yin and yang. Live and let live. All about that balance, baby.