I asked myself this question on my daily walk with Sr Crazy pants (aka @bear).
Looking back at this amazing picture I took almost two years ago, I’m unsure how to answer the question.
Of course, leave it to me low key book nerd to dig deeper into self-acceptance.
Self-acceptance: the act or state of accepting oneself: the act or state of understanding and recognizing one's abilities and limitations
In each moment, you're either practicing self-acceptance—or you're judging yourself.
This journey of self-discovery and doing the work is allowing me to see how hard I’ve judged myself.
I’m not this, not that. I don’t have this or that. Lord, I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
We need to get to a point in our lives where when negative thoughts start to come at us, and immediately you hit them with a one-two punch of reality.
Sounds crazy? Or are you thinking, well, how do I do that?
Practice mindfulness and being in the present moment. Practice being current and noticing things as they are without making a judgment.
Stop overgeneralizing. Failure in one situation does not mean you’re a failure, stupid or incompetent in general. Don’t judge yourself negatively based on a single experience. Instead, focus on the lessons you’ve learned, what you did well, and think of failure as a growth opportunity.
Focus on the positives about yourself. You have many positives, and it's essential to keep those in mind.
Accept compliments with gratitude. Say "thank you" and show appreciation for the compliments you receive. Don't respond by saying something negative about yourself; that is a form of negative self-judgment. Additionally, it could be taken as a rejection by the person who gave the compliment, and that could turn them away from you.
Love yourself in your entirety. You are valuable as a whole person, including your imperfections.
It's important to know that change is not going to happen overnight. Stopping the negative self-judgment will take effort and commitment on your part. However, it's well worth it, and you deserve it.