The Role of Acceptance in Anxiety Therapy in Seattle: What About the ‘Good Enough?’

Image from Unsplash by Ahtziri Lagarde 9/8/25

In a culture that often equates worth with achievement, you may struggle with anxiety or feel trapped in a cycle of perfectionism and self-criticism. Society celebrates becoming the ‘best version’ of yourself to the degree that you might feel you have to always be ‘improving.’ Therapy can offer a different path—one rooted not in doing more, but in accepting what already is. In the context of anxiety therapy in Seattle, acceptance becomes a powerful tool: it can help you step away from rigid expectations and toward a more compassionate view of yourself. This blog explores why “good enough” isn’t settling—it’s a meaningful shift that supports real mental health change.

Why Acceptance Is a Core Principle in Anxiety Therapy Seattle

There are many misconceptions about acceptance. Acceptance isn’t giving up. Acceptance doesn’t mean you have to like or be happy about something. Acceptance isn’t a one-time event. True acceptance is an ongoing process to face all the life has to offer, recognizing you can’t pick and choose certain experiences. Acceptance is rooted in knowing yourself, the moment, and what you can and cannot influence.

If you struggle with anxiety in any way, chances are you’ve tried to extinguish that feeling. You’ve probably tried to ‘get rid’ of it, the internal experience of anxiety. This is a normal, human attempt to feel better. The problem is, it doesn’t work. Evidenced based approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness based approaches help you deal with psychological content, meet yourself in the moment, and identify and engage in valued action. At times, these approaches might feel counter-intuitive, as you move closer to something that is uncomfortable, rather than running away from it. Acceptance is a core tenants of treating anxiety in my work with clients.

Challenging Perfectionism: Redefining Success as ‘Good Enough’

Our society thrives on convincing you that you are lacking in some way, to sell you products to make yourself whole. The wellness industry can disguise itself as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, encouraging you towards ‘self-improvement’ and ‘growth.’ While some of this language is harmless, when it starts to imply that you aren’t enough as you are now, there are problems. There is nothing wrong with you wanting to change aspects of your life, yourself, your body, relationships, whatever you want. You are in the driver’s seat. However, the concept of change taken to the extreme, especially in the wellness space can easy fall into labeling you as ‘faulty’ without blank….whatever they’re trying to sell you.

Guess what. This is huge. A secret no one wants you to know.

You are perfectly fine the way you are, right now.

Image from Unsplash by Alex Rodriguez 9/8/25

I know, shocking. You might say, ‘really, a therapist is saying that?’ Yes, because you’ve been told by too many people who want to sell you on the belief that you aren’t fine the way you are. Again, if you want to change things about your life, cool. Therapy and other healing modalities as well as relational support, education, etc can all help you meet your goals. Yet, just changing for changing’s sake is unnecessary. Anxiety can fester when you fuse with the belief that you have to change yourself to ‘be better.’ You are a whole and complete human as you are. Part of tackling your relationship to anxiety is starting to meet yourself right now, without judgement. What would happen to individuals and society if we focused more on ‘good enough’ instead of ‘perfection?’

The Intersection of Self-Compassion and Acceptance in Therapy

What do you see as your ‘imperfections?’ I don’t even like that question. Most clients I work with are mean to themselves. The inner dialogue is not kind. I’d like to reframe that question to ‘what would you like to change?’ Notice the difference between those two questions when you say them out loud? Self-compassion, gentleness, kindness, is about meeting yourself where you are at right now without bringing a bunch of guck on top of it. Most people I work with must learn how to soften the views towards themselves. You cannot truly work on acceptance if you are stuck in self-hatred. You cannot be open to what life has to offer if you’re stuck in a place of judgement and defensiveness. That inherently will close you up and keep you stuck in existing patterns. Again, there might be things about yourself or your life that you’d like to change, and that’s fine. And you will have much more success if you can meet yourself with compassion and softness as we start. Instead of striving to be ‘perfect,’ what would it look like to be ‘good enough?’

How Anxiety Therapy in Seattle Supports Clients in Practicing Acceptance Daily

You might be wondering, how do I practice acceptance? The key word there is practice. It’s an ongoing muscle to be built. Here are some techniques I use and you may find helpful.

·      Write a list of ways you’ve tried to solve your ‘problem.’

·      If this challenge was a tug of war, what would it look like to drop the rope and walk away? To stop fighting against it?

·      What if this experience is a gift?

·      Practice a ‘yes’ stance with open arms.

·      Practice open versus close postures.

·      Practice building softness and compassion towards an experience.

·      Practice looking at a wider view.

Image from Pexels by Cottonbro 9/8/25

·      Practice engaging in the opposite thought. Example: “Doing that thing is going to be really hard.” Opposite, “Doing that thing is going to be really easy.”

·      Create a list of what you can influence versus what you can’t.

·      Practice mindfulness throughout the day

Acceptance doesn’t mean giving up or lowering your standards, or that you have to suddenly be happy about all aspects of your life—it means meeting yourself in the moment, without judgement, rooted in your values. In anxiety therapy in Seattle, you can learn to recognize the strength in “good enough” and the freedom it brings to daily life. By practicing acceptance, you create space for resilience, connection, and peace of mind.

If you’re ready to explore how acceptance can reshape your relationship with anxiety, consider reaching out to a Seattle therapist who specializes in this work. Good enough might just be exactly what you need.

Empower Yourself and Reach Out Today to a Seattle Anxiety Therapist

 You don't have to face life challenges alone. If you are suffering silently or the support you have isn’t getting you to where you want to be, reach out and schedule a free consultation today. My hope for all potential clients is that you get connected with a provider who can meet your needs. If that isn’t me, I’ll guide you towards someone who can. I can’t wait to meet you.

About the Author: Seattle Washington Therapist, Chelsea Kramer LMFT PMH-C

Chelsea Kramer is a Seattle Therapist who works with individual and families facing grief, anxiety, reproductive and medical mental health concerns.

Learn more about Chelsea’s specialties: grief, anxiety, infertility, pregnancy loss, chronic illness, menopause, medical trauma

Learn more about Chelsea

Return to Homepage

Return to blog