The 5 differences between acceptance and resignation

Both words are related to crises and difficult moments, but they must be distinguished.

One of the questions that philosophy has most insistently tried to answer is the following: what is the point at which one should stop struggling to change something and start accepting what happens?

In this article we will see what are the differences between acceptance and resignation.Two related concepts that, if we know how to distinguish between them, help us to take control of our lives without becoming obsessed with impossible goals.

Differences between resignation and acceptance

The relationship that exists between acceptance and resignation can be seen as that between the two sides of the same coin.

If we stop to think about what they have in common, we will immediately realize that refer to stop trying something. However, each of these words has very different implications for our personal development.

In fact, maturing psychologically means, among other things, understanding the differences between acceptance and resignation, since we do not have to settle for what can be improved, but neither can we feel obliged to change what is beyond our control. So, let us see what it is that allows us to change that which is beyond our control, let's see what it is that allows us to distinguish between the two..

1. Acceptance helps us to recover

Those events that harm us and are beyond our control wear us down psychologically much less if we interpret them through acceptance, and not resignation.

Even if two people are the target of the same catastrophic event, we are not always able to accept them.For example, if a hurricane destroys your house, the one who experiences it from acceptance will be prepared much sooner to move on with her life. The reason is that she will feel less tied to the way of thinking she had before the accident, which will save her a lot of added frustration.

2. Resignation feeds passivity

Resignation to something means that we are more inclined to take for impossible improvements that, in reality, do not have to be.

Although it may seem paradoxical, sometimes we look for any excuse to avoid admitting that if we made an effort we could improve the reality around us, and the reality that surrounds us. the reality that surrounds us, and resignation is an excuse to make this passivity pass for a tragic outcome that gives meaning to what we are living.

3. Resignation does not allow us to learn from our mistakes.

Those who experience a negative event from resignation, limit themselves to focus their attention on the bad. On the other hand, when this undesired situation has arisen partly because of our own fault, acceptance also implies accepting that fact and considering doing better in the future.

In other words, acceptance allows us to draw valuable conclusions from our mistakes.This also brings relief because it is a way of making sense of the discomfort we feel in those circumstances.

4. Acceptance helps us to see things in perspective.

A person who embraces the inevitable through acceptance notices how the emotional Pain he/she experiences is dampened, it does not produce so much discomfort. The reason is that lives that moment adopting a distanced perspective, as if we see everything from a different point of view.as if we see everything from a distance from our body.

This shift of attention to the overall situation, and not only to the bad, is very useful as an ingredient for resilience, i.e., overcoming crises.

On the other hand, if that which causes us pain is partly our own fault, the acceptance of that discomfort also implies that we recognize its existence objectively, the acceptance of that discomfort also implies that we recognize its existence in an objective way; that is to say, as a factor that helps us to prevent the situation from recurring.that is to say, as a factor that helps us to prevent the situation from recurring. In other words, it shows us that even in those low hours the discomfort has served to teach us a lesson.

5. Resignation promotes helplessness

While acceptance promotes a way of perceiving what is happening in which suffering is not the important thing, resignation makes us demotivated and depletes our energy, leaving us more exposed to other possible risks.

Conclusion

Much of what we experience is more related to the way we interpret it than to the objective fact itself. Therefore, knowing the difference between acceptance and resignation allows us to go through bad times in the best possible way, laying the foundation for our recovery through a process of resilience.

Whether in a grieving process due to the death of a loved one, lowered job expectations, health problems or something similar, making acceptance our way of life is essential to not let the typical difficulties of life weigh us down too much and restrict our freedom.

Bibliographical references:

• Graver, M. (2009). Stoicism and Emotion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• William Braxton, I. (2009). A guide to the good life: the ancient art of Stoic joy. Oxford University Press.