Self-Love & Acceptance are essential for Well-being

Lately self-love and acceptance have been the hype, especially for millennials and you might feel that it’s just a new-age fad for those with too much time on their hands but some studies prove that it’s a fact.

A teenager struggling with eating disorder- anorexia, a woman complaining about her body shape, a man who struggles to face deadlines, a student who is unable to accomplish his goals and somewhere all of us needs a little love, maybe not always from others but from ourselves. It could be a voice saying inside of us that- Yes! You can do it! Or You are perfect the way you are! Or You are doing well! Just keep going! 

What is self-love and acceptance?

True self-acceptance is embracing who you are, without any qualifications, conditions, or expectations. Accepting yourself with all your flaws and learning to acknowledge them often more.

Acceptance of oneself and one’s reality is an essential building block of having an idea of self-love. Loving yourself, embracing your authentic self, and working on improving your less-than-desirable traits and qualities is called self-love.

The concept of self-love might pop up images of cheesy self-help books. But, as many psychology studies suggest, self-love and -compassion are key factors for mental health and well-being, keeping depression and anxiety at bay.

Why do we need self- love?

Self-love is not a luxury but a necessity. Many times, we’re being too hard on ourselves because we’re driven by a desire to excel and do everything right, all the time. This can bring a lot of self-criticism, and that persecutory inner voice that constantly tells us how we could’ve done things better is a hallmark of perfectionism.

How to accept yourself and shower self-love?

• Listen to yourself: Learn to listen to yourself. Give yourself a pep-talk once a while and understand your internal self. Intrapersonal communication comes first.
• Self-kindness: Don’t be too hard on yourself. Whether it’s a weight loss goal or a career goal, give yourself the time and space to enjoy other things too.
• Celebrate your strengths: While feeling grateful and focussing more on your strengths could be a way. Accepting and working on your weaknesses can help too.

When you practice unconditional self-acceptance, you will improve relations with your inner self and terms like well-being, self-esteem, and mental health will matter. A lack of self-acceptance is related to lower levels of well-being, and perhaps impaired mental health.

Need professional help?

A good therapist can help you learn how to accept yourself and give you a framework you can use to build up your self-acceptance and begin to focus on improving yourself where you accept yourself as a whole. If you’re specifically interested in working on your self-acceptance, there is a type of therapy that may be perfect for you: self-acceptance training.

Footnote

Cultivate a kind gentle care-giver for yourself who is more self-forgiving. Remember, everyone is unique and one size cannot fit everyone. Think positive, take baby steps towards self-accepting and start doing more of what works for you. 

Every cup of tea may not be your cup of tea!