Allowance is the amount to which you permit something into your experience. In the absence of allowance, you may find yourself meeting resistance and feeling stuck physically, relationally, emotionally, or spiritually.
Noting What You Are Resisting
To have allowance, you must reflect on what parts of yourself you may have been resisting. These may be the same parts of your life where you have felt the most stuck, judgemental, and confused. Developing awareness over what you are resisting gives you the permission to allow yourself necessary growth.
How to Allow
Allowance is both simple and complex. There is not much you have to do to “allow” yourself things, other than be mindful of intentionally letting healing flow rather than resisting it, and noting when you are resisting. Then you can allow yourself to experience everything the recovery process has to offer.
Allowing is a matter of perspective and energy change. You allow through surrendering, and the hardest part of surrendering is learning how to be rather than do.
Sitting With Discomfort
One of the scariest parts of allowance and acceptance is sitting with the discomfort that it brings. Allowing healing to flow freely might bring anxiety, panic, worry, or stress as you learn to live your life differently.
Oftentimes you may mistake discomfort in your healing journey for doing something wrong. This can keep you stuck in old patterns when, in reality, discomfort is normal in the midst of letting go of destructive parts of yourself that have begun to feel safe.
When you experience discomfort while healing, it is a message that you are pushing yourself. Allow yourself to feel uncomfortable because that is where the beginning of change lives. Allowing yourself to shift your perspective around what allowance and acceptance mean, and what it creates space for, is how you can begin to step out of self-sabotaging behaviors.
Allowing yourself to be as you are where you are is an act of radical self-respect, compassion, and care, all of which are needed throughout all stages in recovery from mental illness and substance use. This practice can feel difficult to develop, as resistance typically feels safer than allowance. At Avalon Malibu, we prioritize supporting you as you cultivate allowance and acceptance to continue making strides in your healing. Our team of professionals is here to guide and support you through your journey. For more information, call Avalon Malibu today at (844) 857-5992.
