We do our best to tell everyone about AAA as a way to deal or cope with uncomfortable emotions, thoughts or sensations. Really it can be applied to any life situation that you do not like. The promise is that once you become aware, acknowledge and accept whatever it is, it is much easier to change it.
I heard an interesting take on this in the book “59 Seconds: Think a little Change a Lot” by Richard Wiseman. The book is about what makes people happy (according to research) and tools that you can do in 59 seconds to be happy.
The author points out that by suppressing thoughts we don’t like aka not accepting them we end up making things worse. Not accepting causes the thought to come back, increases anxiety and depression as well as lowering self esteem.
I found it interesting that his long term solution was expressive journaling, which is very close to the acknowledgment and acceptance we see in AAA.
In fact, the book suggests that research shows journaling is one of the simplest and best ways we can influence our happiness.
AAA tells us that accepting things as they are helps us change them, and 59 seconds tells us that not accepting makes things worse. Either way, acceptance is key to move forward.