The Power of Self-Acceptance

“You work so hard to fix yourself, but maybe what you need isn’t another tactic, another book, another five-step plan. Maybe, you don’t need to be fixed. Maybe, what’s really holding you back is the idea you need to be fixed.”
Vironika Tugaleva

Every morning we wake up and most of us, before our feet even hit the ground, are ambushed by our very own minds. Attacked by the faults we find within our own beings, the things that we do not like about ourselves, or the issues that we think need to be fixed. The fear we hold deep in our hearts, the fear of being found unworthy or lacking thus leading to being rejected or ostracized by those around us. Unfortunately, that produces a feeling of self-shame. The only way to stop this cycle is to learn the power of accepting yourself.

If self-shame is a poison to our souls, then self-acceptance is the antidote. Acceptance shouldn’t be sought in the minds of others but within ourselves because you are the only one that knows yourself inside and out. Every thought, feeling, and experience has built us into the people we are. Every thought, feeling, and experience is unique to every individual and every single one is important and valid. So, if the person next to you can’t read your innermost thoughts and feelings then why give them the power of accepting you? All of us feel a pull to belong within society often causing us to change a great many aspects of our beings to fit in. While there will always be those that sit in the judgment of others, choosing the power of self-acceptance can allow them to stand in the face of that judgment strong and self-assured.

Many times, we have internalized what others have thought of us, and that influences our thoughts on ourselves. For example, someone might have stated something along the lines of tall girls can’t wear those kinds of dresses and now every time you go shopping you shy away from a style you love because someone else sat in judgment. This can be many different things: race, religion, height, weight, looks, voice, hair color, and so many other things. The biggest part of self-acceptance is loving yourself and letting go of these deep-seated prejudices. Be kind to yourself, let go of the pain and awful thoughts and you’ll find strength in the kindness that you give yourself.

Self-acceptance is about letting go of internal shame and loving yourself faults and all. No one is faultless. It’s about knowing and allowing yourself to be the you that you are without cruelly shutting yourself down with doubts and shame. This doesn’t mean that you can’t strive towards goals, it means that instead of fixing yourself, you choose to make goals that will enhance your life. For example; instead of making a goal to lose weight, make a goal to choose health and happiness. Self-acceptance is about taking negative thoughts and replacing them with self-love and care so that you can be one with yourself.

The power of self-acceptance is that once achieved the individual becomes a more balanced person that embraces themselves without any qualifications or conditions. It is the very definition of unconditional love. Be who you are, feel the way you feel, look the way you look, and accept every facet of it: the good, the bad, and the shiny. You’ll soon find that you have become a person that is happier and content with life and a person that no longer relies on society to tell them how to be.