self acceptance: what it is, it’s benefits, and how to practice it
If there is anything that I think every single person on the planet struggles with in one way or another, it is self acceptance. Accepting who we are, where we are in life, and our current situations can be SO VERY HARD. We are taught to constantly be striving for the next thing, constantly improving, and are not encouraged to be happy with ourselves or accepting of where we are in this very moment.
I struggled with this greatly. I was very much in the mindset that I was never good enough as I was and needed to be constantly improving. When I leaned into self acceptance I felt a huge weight lift off of my shoulders and there was an inner peace that was so very palpable. Self acceptance is the cornerstone to truly understanding is vital to your self discovery journey. In order to become the person you want to be, you have to accept and acknowledge who you already are.
what is self acceptance?
Self-Acceptance is exactly as it sounds, it is the complete acceptance of yourself as you are now, good, bad, and the ugly. It is the practice of accepting all of your traits whether they are positive or negative.
To achieve self-acceptance, it is important to embrace the things you deem undesirable or negative about yourself. Most of us want to hide the parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of but when you can become aware and accepting of those traits, you can start to change them,
It is equally important to be able to accept, acknowledge, and celebrate your positive traits, achievements, and qualities.
why is self acceptance important?
Most of us dwell on the negative things we have done, what we haven’t achieved yet, or what we are not. Imagine if you those things that were not something you worried about anymore? Self-acceptance will help you get to that point.
When you lack self acceptance, it will affect all facets of your life. It leads to extremely low self confidence and holds you back from showing up as the best version of yourself.
Becoming self accepting is no easy feat, but once you start to accept yourself as you are, your life can completely change.
Benefits of self-acceptance:
less affected by criticism
promotes high self-confidence
encourages overall well-being
allows for self-forgiveness
allows you to show up as your authentic best self
higher levels of happiness
how to practice self acceptance:
There are so many ways and avenues to explore when diving into self acceptance but here are practices that I find extremely beneficial:
Start a self acceptance affirmation practice:
Affirmations are a powerful way to change your mindset and help you adopt new ways of thinking. To learn all about affirmations and create your own self acceptance affirmations, download our FREE affirmation e-book.
Start a self acceptance journal using journal prompts:
Journaling is a great way to dive into a certain subject and using journal prompts can also be a great way to dive even deeper. Please see below for 10 journal prompts to get you started:
1. What are your biggest insecurities, and how can you work on accepting them?2. What are three limiting beliefs you have about yourself? How can you challenge and reframe them?
3. Describe a personal challenge you’ve overcome and how it has shaped your character.
4. Which experiences have shaped your character the most?
5. Think about a time when you embraced your uniqueness and celebrated being different. How did it make you feel stronger?
6. Write about a moment when you accepted and appreciated a compliment without dismissing it.
7. Write about a lesson you’ve learned from a difficult relationship or friendship. How can you apply that lesson moving forward?
8. Write about a time when you felt proud of your vulnerability and openness. How did it strengthen your relationships?
9. What are three things you love about yourself, and why?
10. List five things you appreciate about your body and what it lets you do.
learn about self forgiveness:
Everyone has to practice forgiveness in the span of their life, but very rarely do we make it a priority to forgive ourselves.
The biggest hurdle to overcome on your way to self acceptance is being able to forgive yourself for any past actions, thoughts or feelings that may be holding you back or weighing you down. Being able to release this guilt and shame of the past can be extremely healing and freeing and is absolutely necessary when you are stepping into fully forgiving yourself. There are many books, articles, and workbooks that can help you along your journey.
Work with a counselor or therapist :
If you find that tapping into this side of yourself is difficult or if you need more support, working with a licensed mental health professional would be a great option if that is an available option for you.
Guided Workbooks:
Guided self acceptance workbooks can be extremely helpful if you are wanting to do this journey on your own. There are so many wonderful options out there and the one I have created would be an extremely wonderful option as well. You can find our Self Acceptance Guided work book here!
Guided Meditations:
Meditations are a wonderful way to really go within and focus on a certain goal. There are so many wonderful guided meditations that focus on self acceptance . Please find the links to them below:
Purely Being Guided Meditations - 20 Minute Guided Self Acceptance Meditation
Purely Being Guided Meditations - Radical Self Acceptance + Self Love
As always, I hope you found this information helpful. If you have any questions or just want to chat, please feel free to reach out HERE. Remember that you are worth the time, effort, and energy it takes to learn what works for you so that you can show up for yourself in this one beautiful and wild life you get.
i am so glad that
you are here!
Thank you so much for hanging out with me a bit today, I hope you found it helpful. If you every have any questions, please feel free to reach out HERE.