The Power of Accepted Sorrow: A Path to Healing and Change

Ah! If you only knew the peace there is in an accepted sorrow.
~ Jeanne De La Motte-Guyton

When our hopes and expectations of reality clash with what actually unfolds, we often react with anger or despair. We may try to control the situation or others to make reality match our desires. But what if, instead of resisting or fighting, we simply allowed ourselves to experience sorrow fully and let it pass? What if we felt the full range of our emotions without judgment, and then moved on to the next moment?

No emotion lasts longer than 90 seconds if we give it permission to run its course without interference. It’s the stories we attach to our emotions that prolong suffering—stories that flood our system with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Notice the stories you tell yourself and ask “Am I imagining future scenarios that haven’t happened yet?” or “Am I caught in narratives about the world that drain my energy?” As Caroline Myss says, “The degree to which we are not in this moment is the degree to which we are leaking our energy.”

What if, instead of clinging to these stories, we just felt our sorrow and then moved on? Imagine how much more powerful we would be in creating the change we wish to see in the world. If we were more present to the beauty around us and the miracles unfolding every day, we would have greater clarity and energy to act. By being fully present, we tap into our true power to make the change we seek.

What the world needs now are individuals who show up fully to their lives, feeling sorrow, experiencing joy, accepting the shifts that are happening and participating in the change we want to see. When we feel our sorrow, without clinging to it, we make room for healing, growth, and positive transformation in ourselves and the world around us.