Sow the seeds of hope in 2022 with acceptance of the here-and-now

It is apparent to me that the hope most of us held this time last year for 2021 has all but drained out of us. As we approach the beginning of another year, how can we hope for a happy and healthy 2022 when there is so much disappointment, illness, fear and hopelessness right here, right now?

Mindfulness can help us hold some of the heavy feels of 2021 by accepting the current environment as it is. Right now you might know people who are ill; right now you might be fearful of a party or travel plan being cancelled because you or someone else is sick. When we compound this reality with feeling disappointed our ‘normal’ 2019 lives have not returned along with stress around the rising cost of everything, hopelessness can easily set in.

By accepting this moment in time just the way it is can help our bodies soften the intensity we are experiencing. If you are running around looking for a Covid test, stuck at home because plans were canceled, or very worried about how you are going to pay your credit card bill next month, accepting this is what is really happening in your life right now will probably feel counter-intuitive. You might be frightened to give into the darkness of these moments, fearful the darkness will spread like Omicron.

For some, accepting these trying moments is not advised unless you are accompanied by a mental health professional or a loving and caring companion.

Others who have built up the capacity to hold painful moments, acceptance can be the start of moving forward with hope and optimism. Once we accept we are stressed, scared of getting sick, really angry that we can’t hang out with friends to celebrate the coming year, these negative feelings will start to lessen. And when these feels get smaller we can make room to bring in compassion for the human condition and the suffering we are all going through; compassion for our families and communities; and compassion for ourselves that we are having a really hard time right now coping with all the ‘bad stuff’ that surrounds us.

Acceptance and compassion are powerful, innate mechanisms within all humans that can pave the way forward through crises, challenges and stress.

My wish for all of you this New Years eve is for you to experience acceptance and compassion this evening; even if it is for a whole 5 seconds that you say the words “being with what is happening around me right now is really hard” while also holding the hand of a loved one, cuddling with your favorite pet or cozy pillow, or placing both hands over your heart.

If you can bring some acceptance and compassion into your evening, tomorrow you may find a sprout of hope pop up.