Acceptance and self-esteem

Lately, it seems easy to use phrases like Love yourself!, Self-love!, Accept yourself as you are!, Be yourself!, Be authentic!, etc.

And although it sounds like something very simple to do, the reality is that strengthening your self-esteem and acceptance begins from childhood. From the concept that our parents have of us or the experiences we live with the people around us. Their words and actions transmit a message to us that will initially strengthen or weaken the interpretation, thoughts, sensations, feelings and concepts that we will have of ourselves and that we will collect throughout our life.

To develop a healthy self-esteem, it is important that we show affection to children, that we include them in family activities, that we speak positively to them, that we teach them not to judge or criticize others, and also, help them change their negative perspectives for reflective thoughts. Thus, during the course of their life it will be easier to surround themselves with people who add and contribute good things to their lives.

However, there are many adults who did not have experiences that validated their emotions and are now afraid to accept or express themselves. But, it is never too late to improve your self-esteem and accept yourself; you can start with small actions that will gradually improve the concept you have of yourself. For example, we can improve our self-esteem by doing the following practices:

1.-Understand that there are things that are out of your control and only focus on those that you can change.

2.-Get to know yourself, make a list of everything you like and another of everything you don’t.

3.-Confront your fears, ask for help, dare to make those changes that your mind is asking you to make.

4.-Love everything about yourself, remember that all human beings are extraordinary and different.

5.-Identify your patterns, break with those ideas or actions that you do only because you learned them but that do not bring you happiness.

6.-Learn to say no, establish limits that defend your rights.

7.- Recognize your worth, do not allow anyone to treat you disrespectfully or devalue you.

8.- Repeat positive affirmations, find everything you like about yourself and that gives you power.

9.- Compare yourself only to yourself, recognize your strengths and weaknesses, do not waste time wanting to be like someone else.

10.- Practice gratitude, in addition to having valuable things, human beings also have limitations, to connect with who we are we must first accept what we do not like about ourselves and be grateful for it.

Remember that improving our self-esteem begins with self-acceptance, which also implies accepting when we make mistakes and having the ability to treat ourselves with kindness and affection. Accepting ourselves is giving ourselves permission to be who we are, simply, imperfect people.