Self-Care Practices for Acceptance

Under societal standards, accepting yourself can be hard. You might constantly be told things that tear you down, rather than build you up. Once you realize that society's expectations of you as a person are no bigger than yours should be for yourself, you can begin to accept yourself for who you truly are. One of the most important things to remember is that this is a journey, not a destination. These steps will help you progress and become a better you- but that progress never stops.

Set Boundaries

You should be your first priority. Setting boundaries can be a struggle if you don't first understand this simple fact: You should be the most important thing to yourself. Often, we care much less about ourselves and instead care more about others. Those feelings aren't always reciprocated and can wither our sense of self-worth and confidence.

Give back to yourself. Don't take things you know you can't handle and constantly burn yourself out from doing more for others than you do for yourself. Instead, take the time to figure out what you want. What are your aspirations? What are your hobbies? What do you need to take care of yourself today?

Be Mindful

Meditation is a great way to check in with yourself and become more mindful. You should not only become more mindful about the things around you, but also of what's inside of you. As mentioned before, these things could be your aspirations, interests, hobbies, and everything you truly love.

It's important to be mindful so you never forget what's important to you. The constant practice of meditation or relaxing reflection on these things can be really beneficial to how you see yourself. This is because when you do things you truly love, you feel accomplished. This leads to an increased sense of self-worth. It's not always easy to get into the habit of meditation, so starting at 5 or 10 minutes a day, and increasing the amount of time occasionally, it'll be beneficial to creating and sticking with it long term.

Realize What You Have, Not What You Don't

It can be easy to get caught up on what you don't have rather than what you do. But that is often a setback. Accept what you do have instead of dwelling on what you don't. If you dream of owning a fancy car but instead have to settle for a rental for the time being, accept that. That rental car could drive you to new opportunities that can lead to the fancy car you dream of owning.

When you're set back by what you don't have, make a list of what you do. Make a list of things you're incredibly grateful to own. Reflecting and adding to this list can benefit your mood and overall quality of life immensely. You will become more aware of what you have and strive for what you want. Your mind is your power. You control it. It doesn't control you.

Remember Who You Are

You are the only person you have to live with every single day for the rest of your life. Love and value that person. Offer that person more respect than you ever have because you know you're worthy of it. This process of accepting yourself is not a straight line or a smooth road. Some days you don't feel like you're making progress, and perhaps you're moving backward.

When that happens, you should remind yourself of who you are and where you're going. If you're stuck on accepting something about yourself or your life, sit with it and work out a plan. Take a moment and reflect on why you feel like you're moving backward, why you're so burnt out, and what you need to do to start feeling better.

Although the journey of self-love is bumpy, it's an amazing experience. You just need to start. Working on one thing every single day could bring you so much farther, especially when trying to build habits. This offers a sense of acceptance over time. You then realize your worth, what you deserve, and you don't take any less than that.