Self-acceptance is tough. On a bad day, you criticize yourself on your behavior harshly, and that makes you feel miserable.
We all must be appreciative of who we are and how far we’ve come in life. But as typical human behavior, it’s easier for a negative thought to foster than a positive one.
A quick response on “do you like who you are,” lacks in-depth positive outcomes. If you ask you to write an essay on your family or loved ones, it will be an easier job for you. But can you write a positive essay on yourself without being critic? It’s hard, and we get it!
The point is self-acceptance is the road toward a fuller and happier life. You don’t let judgment crack a hole in your goals, confidence, and strength. But loving yourself isn’t a straight line; you need to walk a path of self-realization and self-worth.
Let’s look at some of the ways to nurture your self-acceptance, as said by clinicians.
- Show kind: Kindness is always left for others. You show kindness to a beggar, a grocery store owner, bus driver, or a child. But are why kindness meant to be given to outsiders only. Kindness starts within yourself. Are you kind enough to embrace your flaws? The fact is, no one judges you more than you judge yourself. So be kind to yourself.
- Know and confront your fears: Our life is full of history, either bad or good. Often, we ignore the good things and emphasize more on the bad history. As a human, we’re bound to feel depressed by something. It’s not depression but past fears that keep you trapped. We deny new experiences because of familiar things that happened in the past, and we become stuck in known experience. Our mental fear doesn’t allow ourselves to experiment and learn things in life. It brings a feeling of hate for us. It’s important to take small steps at a time. Start with one thing and try to face it and understand what makes it so scary. Have a journal of your past fears and confront them gradually.
- Stay Positive: As everyone says, surround yourself with positivity. But is it possible to stay positive when everything is going haywire? Positivity is not to ignore the wrong situation in the current situation; it’s about taking every challenge with a dash of solution. We don’t have an answer to why this is happening now. Am I wrong? Am I jinxed? Instead of this conversation, ask yourself- what can you do now to improve the situation? Analyze what to avoid before making a decision. Write your checklist down to keep yourself focused before jumping on a judgment. On the other hand, you can hang up posters of positive affirmations. Make sure you read one motivational quote a day that inspires and energizes you every morning. Include self-help or motivation books in your reading list every month. Adding a positive attitude towards life will defeat your inner critic.
- Don’t chase perfection: Perfection is an illusion. We all have one thought- how to bring perfection in life, in work, and in the thought process. But in the end, we all are imperfect human beings. Why we always perfection? Because we are thought to embrace the only perfection in life. We fear imperfection because we connect imperfection with a mistake. Don’t allow the habit of achieving perfection slow you down in achieving your goals.
- Learn to Forgive: We all feel hurt. We all have pain. Sometimes these feelings are associated with something that happened in our life because of someone. Our breakups, getting fired from jobs, a friend ditching you, or a divorce. As a human, we tend to keep grudges. We don’t want to overcome our pain and leave the past behind. We think grudges will heal us. However, you can’t grow without forgiveness. It’s a process, and it will take time. Learn to forgive yourself and others. Learn to accept your past, people around you, and ignore toxicity at all costs.
- Believe in yourself: I always keep myself at a negative line before taking up any task. Am I capable of doing this? This one thought pulls me away from my goals. It’s harder for me to cross the finishing line with a negative attitude. It takes time to believe yourself, your self-worth, your skills, and your ability to achieve great things. You’re capable of doing great things in life. Start believing in yourself. I included the “Can Do” attitude in my life. If the task looks possible, I can do it. I worked on how impossible a task can be a learning experience for me.
- Create a support system: Most of the success stories we read never starts or ends with one person doing it all. It’s about people that surround you. Good or bad. Can you make a list of people that falls in your close circle? Can you identify who is damaging or improving your life? Distance yourself with negative people. Create a healthy support system. Your support system is your best audience and critic. Take advice from them and share your experience with them. This will help you create a positive environment for yourself and for your future.
Finally, learn how you can transform your fundamental sense of who you are. Weakness is our part of what makes us human. We all are bound to make mistakes in life. The only challenge is that we don’t learn from our past mistakes, and we keep these mistakes as a blockage to bring change in our life. Let go of your mistakes. Faults and failings are part and parcel of life. Look at the positive ray of light and try pursuit self-acceptance in your imperfects, achievement, and your family. We should never let anything ruin once in a lifetime opportunity of living on earth. Start living and believing in yourself.
