First let’s clarify what “accepting” yourself means. No, accepting yourself doesn’t mean “letting yourself go” and not taking care of yourself. It is really just the opposite. Accepting yourself starts with nurturing yourself. Empowering yourself. What does this look like for you? How do you accept all parts of yourself? There are no “bad” parts of ourselves. We do have parts of ourselves that want to protect us and keep us from getting hurt and they don’t always show this in healthy ways. What is something you could do to nurture and take care of these parts of yourself that can be self-destructive in the New Year? What about recognizing the importance of our own thoughts, feelings, bodies, and values? Can I validate my own thoughts, feelings, body, and values? What would this look like?
Our Thoughts
Our thoughts are created by our perceptions of situations. Recognizing out thoughts allows us to analyze them. What am I thinking about this situation? Are there other ways I could think about this situation? How might someone else think about this situation? Am I engaging in any distorted thinking patterns when I think about this? How does this thought benefit or hurt me?
Our Emotions
Recognizing our feelings is an important part of accepting ourselves. Why might I be feeling this way? What purpose is this feeling serving? What is this feeling telling me I need to do? How can I nurture my feelings and ride the wave of the emotion? If I am feeling overwhelmed by my emotions can I distract myself in a healthy way?
Our Body
Accepting my body for what it is can be a significant part of accepting myself. What function does my body serve me and what things does my body allow me to do? How can I nurture my body? Where in my body do I feel my emotions? How else is my body feeling? Is my body trying to tell me anything right now? What do I appreciate about my body?
Our Values
Self acceptance also comes with being able to identify my values and being able to live my life in accordance to my values. What is important to me? Why is this important to me? How can I honor this value? Do I need to change anything in my life to better align my life with my values?
Self acceptance is about accepting all of us, our thoughts, our emotions, our bodies, and our values. Nurturing ourselves in ways that align with our values allow us to feel connected to our thoughts, emotions, desires, and our bodies. What would self-acceptance look like for you this year?
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