We waste too much time grumbling and fighting life’s ups and downs. In fact, we’re exhausted, because every day feels like a battle against life’s unpleasant surprises. So we wonder if there’s a way to live more serenely. There is. Here are 4 steps you can take to accept life as it is and live a more peaceful life.

1 – Don’t grumble and accept life as it is

When a bad surprise falls into our lap, our first reaction is often to start grumbling.

We grumble because it’s not normal, it only happens to us, or it’s always the same.

In other words, we grumble because we feel it’s unfair!

But what we don’t realize is just how much energy and time we’re wasting on grumbling.

In fact, grumbling doesn’t solve the problem in front of us. Quite the opposite, in fact. Grumbling drowns us in the problem.

Because the more we grumble, the more we feel like someone’s or fate’s victim.

In other words, we feel increasingly helpless and therefore increasingly unhappy.

Do you recognize yourself in this? Do you tend to grumble when something bad happens to you?

If so, I wholeheartedly invite you to become aware of this reflex and, little by little, to take a step aside every time you hear yourself grumbling or feel you’re about to start grumbling.

To do this, watch yourself. Be more aware of how you react to obstacles and trials.

Because when you stop grumbling, you’ll be able to accept life as it is and, little by little, feel more involved in your life.

2 – Calm down instead of running

When we’re running late because of a setback, we tend to rush forward: to drive faster, to start running.

In doing so, we run the risk of having or creating an accident. In other words, we put ourselves and others at risk, without even realizing it.

What’s more, by speeding up our walking or driving, we secrete stress hormones that make our whole body tense up. In other words, we’re abusing our bodies.

Do you recognize yourself in this? Is this something that happens to you often? Every day?

In fact, many of us experience this situation every day, when an unpleasant surprise causes us to speed up and lose our composure.

How about we stop torturing ourselves like this?

Setbacks will always be part of our lives, and we can’t go on imposing this hellish rhythm on ourselves and the people around us.

That’s why it’s time to calm down and accept life as it is. With these delays, these completely unexpected events that mess up our agendas and our lives.

That’s just the way it is, and we have to learn to live with it.

That’s why I wholeheartedly invite you to take the time to calm down. Got an unpleasant surprise coming your way? Breathe and slow down. Above all, don’t run, because you’ll make the situation even more complicated.

You need your calm to see things clearly and, above all, to move forward in the right direction.

3 – Refocus to accept life as it is

It’s not just our bodies that go wild when life throws us a curve ball – our thoughts do too.

Yes, our thoughts tend to see everything in black and to dramatize.

In other words, they can turn a minor setback or unexpected event into an interplanetary catastrophe.

Are you familiar with this? Does it happen to you often? Every day?

Then it’s time to learn how to refocus. To do this, when you feel you’re thinking at a thousand miles an hour, take a breath and close your eyes.

Concentrate on your breathing. Take 10, 20 or even 50 breaths, until you feel calmer and more settled.

This is what it means to accept life as it is. In fact, it’s knowing how to calm your thoughts and refocus, so that you’re no longer led by the nose by life’s surprises.

4 – Take action and look for a plan B

Accepting life as it is doesn’t mean resigning yourself to it, but rather finding a solution, the right solution.

In fact, accepting what is means not reacting in haste, stress, pride or frustration, but in calm.

In other words, when you’ve stopped grumbling, slowed down your pace and your mind is calm of all negative thoughts, you can find a solution, a plan B.

Because you’re not a puppet of fate. So, of course, events that you can’t control do happen to you, and always will. But know that you’re always free to react and take whatever action you choose.

So act calmly, that’s the secret to living a more beautiful and peaceful life.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover  Coping with change: 6 tips to help you feel more Zen
Discover  How not to spoil your life: 8 bad habits to avoid

I recommend this inspiring book:

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki is a guide to becoming Zen through the prism of simplicity and openness. The book advocates cultivating a mindset of openness, curiosity and beginner’s approach to life. Suzuki stresses the importance of just leaving preconceptions behind and approaching each moment with a fresh, receptive perspective. Through the practice of mindfulness and the principles of Zen Buddhism, the book offers a path to inner peace and a more Zen way of being in the world.

Whatever your religious beliefs, and whether or not you intend to meditate or study Zen further, this book offers a wealth of knowledge in a very practical, everyday setting.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself