7 Benefits of Self Acceptance (+Ways to Inculcate it)
By
OptimistMinds
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Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
In this article, we will look at the benefits of self acceptance. This article also explores the ways to inculcate self acceptance and why it is so important for you.
7 Benefits of Self Acceptance
Here are some major benefits of self acceptance:
- Humility
- Freedom
- Happiness
- Inner peace
- Empowerment
- Healthier relationships
- Better emotional and physical health
Humility
Self acceptance necessitates the development of modesty, regardless of what is upsetting us: the condition of the world, our neighbourhood, our friends, family, or loved ones.
We understand that we are not in control of the performance and we’re not the director of this show called ‘life’. We’re prompted to practise being modest and mindful.
Freedom
We must embrace ourselves regardless of our differences, doubts, or problems in order to lead a fulfilling life. If we can’t accept ourselves, how then can we embrace others?
You can’t be happy if you are fixated on what you lack; you must overcome the need to compare yourself to others and release the constant focus on our perceived faults and weaknesses.
This liberates us from self-judgment and the need to conform to society’s expectations of how we must appear , behave, sound like, and feel.
Happiness
We also assess our ability to live a happy life based on the amount of material possessions we have amassed or the social standing we have attained.
This, too, is a delusion that indicates a lack of self-love, for all of the qualities we really need to live a fulfilling life are already within us, waiting to be found.
Happiness can’t be bought, and it can’t be assigned to us by anyone. It emanates from inside.
You may get caught up with what you don’t have and what you should have done differently in your life to be happier or more successful. But, when you see it as it really is and acknowledge your privileges and what you have inside you and outside you, no matter how trivial, this feeling fades easily.
Inner peace
Self acceptance is the key to inner peace. We settle into reality as we “let it go” or “let it be.” We should recognize all dimensions of a circumstance without passing judgement.
Empowerment
When we embrace ourselves, we gain strength. Self acceptance is a portal to empowerment.
This does not suggest that we become conceited. Rather, we’ve acknowledged that our journey is different than everyone else’, and that we don’t need to define ourselves by societal standards.
We find happiness as we embrace ourselves as we are in this moment.
Healthier relationships
Self acceptance aids in the development of healthy relationships. Self acceptance enables us to express our own desires while still recognising that others may think differently than we do, and acknowledging that they may feel differently.This approach fosters shared respect and collaboration.
Better emotional and physical health
Self acceptance is beneficial to our mental and physical well-being. Because of the tension we generate when we state, by our emotions, feelings, actions, or action, that this is something I can’t tolerate. Resistance or rejection can throw our balance drastically out of sync.
Our courage muscle deteriorates as we resist or deny emotions or situations about ourselves (this could be anything ranging from something about your appearance to your achievements), and we get weakened over time. We therefore get more prone to avoiding things in the future as our avoidance becomes more and more ingrained.
When we practise self acceptance, we take a principled stand and realize that we can handle what we always felt we never could.
Why Is Self Acceptance So Important?
Since society wants us to be flawless, we often set unrealistic and ridiculous expectations for ourselves. We forget that everyone, including the people we think are great, have shortcomings. So who determines what is ideal? Who sets the expectations we believe we must meet?
Look at things in a different light. You are literally at odds with yourself because there are aspects of yourself that you can’t embrace. And guess who dies, regardless of the result, because both sides of this battle are really pieces of you?
What is it that makes us human? Our flaws, our faults and our differences.
Everyone gets things wrong; it is the only means for us to learn and improve.
Accepting our shortcomings and forgiving ourselves for our faults, or, to put it differently, trying to reconcile with all of our different parts is critical to our wellbeing and prosperity, as well as reaching our fullest potential.
Ways To Inculcate Self Acceptance
It’s easy to talk about self-love, self-acceptance and self compassion however, the real deal is to inculcate them in ourselves. So how do you go about this?
Here’s a list of practical steps you can take to inculcate self acceptance:
- Become self-aware and set the intention to cultivate self acceptance for all your ‘flaws’.
- Recognize and appreciate your talents and celebrate your successes no matter how small they are
- Look to the people around you and stay closer to the ones who radiate positivity, love and light
- Establish a support group where you can talk openly about your ‘flaws’ without inviting judgement
- Embrace yourself by means of forgiveness and letting go of past regrets
- Silence your inner critic that always seeks to bring you down by comparing you to others of telling you that you are not enough because you are
- You’re allowed to feel sad for your losses and unfulfilled dreams but don’t get stuck in loop and try to move on to better things
- Participate in charitable activities and causes to achieve the feeling of making a difference in someone’s life
- Communicate with your higher self or your inner voice with love and empathy
- Be kind to yourself and continue to believe in yourself no matter what anyone tells you
The Takeaway
While we can go on and on about the importance of self acceptance, it is important to realize that self acceptance may not come easy to some people as it does to others (especially to people suffering from depression and other psychiatric conditions).
Somewhere on the spectrum of self love and self hate, self acceptance is lost and then it disappears altogether leading to serious implications. If you are experiencing extreme difficulty with regards to self acceptance you are a good candidate for therapy.
Remember that if you are going through this experience you are not alone and there is no shame in seeking help.
When it becomes hard or impossible to find self acceptance then you must seek help or if you know someone who is experiencing this you should offer them help and gently recommend them to seek therapy.
In a world that is becoming increasingly dark and cruel.
Be someone’s hope,
Be someone’s light.
BetterHelp: A Better Alternative
Those who are seeking therapy online may also be interested in BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers plenty of formats of therapy, ranging from live chats, live audio sessions and live video sessions. In addition, unlimited messaging through texting, audio messages and even video messages are available here.
BetterHelp also offers couples therapy and therapy for teenagers in its platform. Furthermore, group sessions can also be found in this platform, covering more than twenty different topics related to mental health and mental illness. The pricing of BetterHelp is also pretty cost-effective, especially considering the fact that the platform offers financial aid to most users.
Conclusion
In this article, we looked at the benefits of self acceptance. This article also explored the ways to inculcate self acceptance and why it is so important for you.
Frequently Asked Questions: 11 Benefits of Self Acceptance
Why is it self acceptance important in your personal development?
Accepting yourself for who you are is only the beginning. It will help you recognise your positive and negative traits, as well as relieve feelings of shame, low self-esteem, and dissatisfaction. Self-acceptance does not imply that you accept yourself where you are and do little to better yourself.
Why is self-love and acceptance important?
Acceptance, empathy, and consideration for ourselves are essential for our ultimate wellbeing and happiness. These characteristics have a direct and tangible impact on not just our behavioural and emotional wellbeing, but also our physical health. It’s never good to beat yourself up.
How do you gain self acceptance?
Here are a few ways in which you can practice self-acceptance on a daily basis:
Embrace your individuality.
Allow yourself to let go of the stuff you can’t change.
Recognize your assets.
Make a plan.
Rejoice in your achievements.
Prepare ahead of time.
Look at the bright side.
Be gentle with yourself.
What is an example of self-acceptance?
“I am a decent and compassionate person who deserves to be treated with respect,” for example, is an example of constructive self-talk. “I have the ability to succeed in my life.” “There are people who care for me and will support me when I need it.”
Why is self-love so difficult?
True self-love necessitates confronting the aspects of yourself that you despise the most. It may be an or several body parts, how you treated someone, or embarrassment or remorse over a circumstance. The thing is, you’ll never be completely trusting of yourself until you can really shed a light on your feelings of inadequacy.
What is the relationship between self-acceptance and self confidence?
When our self-esteem plummets, we always find ourselves depressed and unappreciated; it’s a simple human desire to be cherished and embraced. Furthermore, while our self-esteem is down, it’s difficult to accomplish our objectives and we lack the intrinsic drive to get us there.
Why is it important to accept differences?
That means they should be able to express their own emotions, ideas, and viewpoints. You let go of the need to change people as you embrace them for who they are. You allow them to feel the way they would like to feel, and you allow them to think and make different choices than you. In one way or the other, everybody is special.
Why is accepting yourself so hard?
It’s tough to accept ourselves wholeheartedly and we have to let go of the illusion that if we torture ourselves more with harsh feelings, we’ll improve. It’s as if we believe that by thinking something like, “I’m bad for experiencing any fear,” we might get ourselves in perfect shape.
References
3 Powerful Benefits of Accepting Yourself and Your Differences
