Why Can't I Just Accept Myself?

<p>Why Can&apos;t I Just Accept Myself?<br/><br/>Have you struggled to &quot;just accept yourself?&quot;<br/><br/>Do you feel a resistance, a judgment, or sense of &quot;but I&apos;m not acceptable!&quot;?<br/><br/>This is common for people who have suffered through frequent criticism, critiquing of themselves, and rejection from family, peers, or community.<br/><br/>These patterns of rejection taught that person see themselves as unacceptable or unwanted.<br/><br/>This becomes encoded in the body as sensations of shame, loathing, and resistance towards themselves.<br/><br/>In the mental realm, habits of comparing yourself to others, magnifying the undesirable differences, and then telling yourself you should be &quot;xyz&quot; develop.  This compounds the felt-sense of being &quot;wrong&quot; in some way.  <br/><br/>No wonder it is so darn difficult to accept yourself.<br/><br/>So, how does one get to real acceptance?<br/><br/>I start students off with acknowledging the PAIN they&apos;ve experienced in being rejected, criticized and critiqued.<br/><br/>Often that pain is laced with shame, fear, anxiety, and confusion. These are valid, natural reactions to repetitive rejection and criticism.  <br/><br/>This view of legitimacy can help you begin to shift your narrative about yourself from &quot;I&apos;m unacceptable because...&quot; to &quot;I felt unaccepted and it hurt. I felt shame about myself in response to their criticism and felt like hiding myself away.&quot;<br/><br/>This is acceptance in action, as you&apos;re embracing your lived reality with warmth, care, and curiosity.  <br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Join The Heal Your Codependency Community and get access to weekly practices, tools, and support in your healing journey: https://community.freetheself.com<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Connect with me on YouTube, Instagram, my Podcast, and via email: https://links.freetheself.com<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Submit questions for the YouTube Live Friday Question Sessions.  Submit them here: https://ask.freetheself.com<br/><br/>