Self-Acceptance

So many of us struggle with a lifelong pattern of comparing ourselves to other people that we know or who we see as ‘superior’ to us in some way. The problem with this, is that when we compare ourselves to people who are not us, who have different backgrounds, upbringings and life circumstances to our own, we tend to mainly focus on the parts of the other person’s life that seem more ‘together’ or ‘better’ than our own day to day experience. This inevitably leads us to increase the pressure that we already put upon ourselves to be someone different to who we really are.

Unless we can find things within our life to appreciate, cherish and respect, we will always be tempted to wear a psychological mask that doesn’t fit us properly. If we spend enough time doing this, we end up mentally drained and demoralised. Developing self-acceptance is a crucial step towards a healthier and happier life. Embracing who you are, with all your strengths and imperfections, can lead to greater self-confidence and emotional wellbeing. If you find it challenging to achieve self-acceptance on your own, seeking therapy can be a valuable support. Therapy provides a safe space to explore your feelings, understand your behaviours, and develop strategies to foster self-love and acceptance. My personal experience of counselling is that it can help us to process who we really are - both the parts that we like and the bits that we don’t. Once we see how these different parts fit together to make us the person that we are today, it’s common for our self-acceptance to grow and for us to develop more confidence to show other people who we really are.