It’s a word we use regularly, often without thinking. But what does it mean? What would acceptance look like for you? For me, being accepted means that the important people in my life don’t try to change me or judge me. They are happy with who I am at this moment in time. Perhaps more importantly, is the acceptance I give to myself. I am not perfect in any way, shape or form – in fact, I’m perfectly imperfect. I’ve got loads to learn and loads to perfect but where I am right now is where I’m meant to be.
Sometimes acceptance can be confused with liking, choosing or supporting, but acceptance does not have to be any of these things. Accepting yourself (and others) for who you (they) are and what you (they) are does not indicate an end point. You don’t have to like your weaknesses or support your inabilities. It simply means accepting where you are right now, at this moment in time. You can still change, move forward, adapt and learn, but right now, today, at this present moment you are where you are, who you are and what you are and that’s OKAY.
The more we can practice acceptance the more we can create and strengthen the neural pathways in our brain, making our present and our future easier, quieting the inner critical voice in our heads.
If we can accept ourselves NOW – our emotions, our body, our skills and knowledge – the easier it will be to change those parts of ourselves. The more acceptance we give ourselves, the more likely we are to receive acceptance from others.
Acceptance comes from the verb accept – an active word – we need to practice it as often as possible. Some days it will take more effort than others, these are the critical days, the days that the meander lines in our brains are really forming.
If self-acceptance is an issue for you please get in touch, together we can work on realising how acceptance has benefitted you in the past and how, with practice, it can help you to be the best you can be.