Radical Acceptance
Radical acceptance means fully accepting reality without judgment or resistance, even when it’s difficult or painful.
Radical acceptance of gender dysphoria means accepting all of the challenges and pain that it it causes, without fighting against it or judging yourself. Radical acceptance does not mean that you approve of or are okay with the gender dysphoria, just that you accept that it is happening in this moment.
Gender dysphoria can feel overwhelming and hard to handle. One of the best ways to stand up to it is by simply recognizing its presence.
Why do I need to accept the gender dysphoria and not just try and fight it?
- Refusing to accept or rejecting your feelings of gender dysphoria does not change the painful reality of it.
- Reality first needs to be accepted for changes to be made.
- Refusing to accept that we are feeling a painful emotion (gender dysphoria) can leave us stuck.
- Ultimately, we cannot get through pain by ignoring it.
Serenity Statement
The serenity statement as we use it goes like this:
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
The serenity statement can help in three ways:
- Acceptance: The statement reminds us that there are things about gender dysphoria that we cannot change or control.
- Empowerment: The statement also reminds us that there are things about gender dysphoria that we can control and choose to deal with.
- Wisdom: The statement emphasizes that we can control how we respond to gender dysphoria.
The serenity statement reminds us to accept that gender dysphoria is difficult, to use our coping strategies, and that we have the power to choose how to respond.