Why self-acceptance is so important

Learning to accept ourselves as we are going against the grain of a society where hard work, striving, goal setting, and self-improvement are highly rated. We are encouraged to feel ashamed of our wrinkles, excess weight, possessions and just everything else we can think of. It is so important because if you do not accept yourself for who you really are, you will create a number of problems in your life. Some of these problems are internal affecting you personally and some will affect how others treat you. Many people fall into the trap of not accepting who they are and then try to be like someone else.

Self-acceptance is the key to feeling more confident, valuable, acceptable and whole just as you are. Self-acceptance means that you understand who you truly are and where your strengths and weaknesses lie. You know what you want. This will allow you to be comfortable with your place in the world and be honest with yourself. If you can build your self confidence, you will live a life free of self criticism and you can begin to face the challenges in your life and overcome them.

If you accept yourself you can also value yourself and tell others that they should respect who you are. You will also be able to accept others and not demand that they try to reach your standards. You will also be able to ask others for what you want and need. Self acceptance is a necessary first step towards self improvement because you need to see the truth about yourself and accept it and then decide whether or not you can change.

See some problems that can result from this:

• Low self esteem. Denying who you are or being blind to what you really want means you may suffer from low self esteem
• Living a lie. If you do not accept yourself you may push yourself to be what you are not and the result is a false life. If you feel that you are living a life which is not you perhaps you have this problem.
• Unhappiness: You will not be enjoying life as you are ignoring your inner voice and your heart
• Becoming a victim: If you do not accept yourself you may believe what others tell you and become a victim
• No trust in yourself. Low self confidence can follow when you are unsure of who you are and what you want

How can you increase your self acceptance?

• Take time to think about who you are. Your personality, your background, what makes you tick
• Understand that there are both positive and negative aspects of who you are and you should accept these as part of who you are
• Are there things about yourself which you don’t like? Maybe you can improve but first acknowledge them and accept them
• Buy a book and confront the problem: