One of the most challenging processes students have to do to take care of their mental health is to accept themselves for who they are and what they look like. Unfortunately, some may not know how to achieve this necessity due to insecurities and a lack of confidence. Here are some steps to reaching self-acceptance.

One of the major steps to take on the journey of self-love is self-acceptance. To accept oneself means to “…unconditionally value all parts of who you are,” according to an article titled, “How to Accept Yourself, Your Life, and Your Reality,” from inc.com. Accepting oneself does not necessarily mean loving oneself. It simply means to be content with every part of one’s identity – the good and the bad sides. This is the first step to take when on the path to self love. It is important that students accept themselves so they know that who they are is okay, and that they’re worthy of love. Self acceptance is not as widely discussed as self love, so some might not know how to achieve it. Here are some ways to do so. 

Stop negative thinking

Although it may sound difficult, stopping the negative talk and ending self deprecating thoughts can really be a boost into accepting oneself. An article from medium.com titled “7 Ways to Accept Yourself For Who You Are” suggests this, and recommends readers to, “Replace…negative thoughts about [themselves] with affirmations.” Affirmations are positive statements that can help one to overcome self-sabotaging thoughts. Even if students don’t agree with the words or phrases they’re affirming, by repeating them consistently they can trick their minds into thinking that they’re true, which will then make students believe that they are. A great article to explain how they work can be found at positivepsychology.com. Some affirmations to get students started can be found at huffpost.com. 

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is crucial in learning how to accept oneself. In an article from psychcentral.com titled, “How to Accept Yourself in 8 steps,” the author states that if one has taken part in shameful actions in the past – no matter how long ago it was – and hasn’t forgiven themselves yet, “…accept what you’ve done, take responsibility, and [give] yourself permission to move on.” The article also mentions how forgiving oneself doesn’t mean condoning the bad behavior. But, if students want to learn how to accept themselves, they must first forgive themselves for any past mistakes they have made that they still carry the guilt for. After all, humans make mistakes. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t worthy of forgiveness.

Practice self compassion

Psychcentral.com also recommends practicing self compassion. What this means is to, “[give] yourself warmth and understanding during difficult times or when you feel inadequate.” The site suggests that students talk to and help themselves like they would a friend. If a student’s friend is in need of help and advice, said student likely wouldn’t judge them or criticize them like they would themselves. Instead, they would hopefully help their friend as much as they can to fix their problem or cheer them up. This is what readers are encouraged to do to themselves when they feel low. Many teens judge themselves too harshly, which leads to self hate. When practicing self acceptance or even self love, that is not advised. Practicing self compassion prompts self acceptance, which in turn encourages self love.

Accept what one can’t change

As challenging as it may sound, accepting what one can’t change about him or herself is really helpful when learning to accept oneself. “How to Accept Yourself for Who You Are and Be Happy,” an article from lifehack.org, explains that some things about oneself are unchangeable. This can be students’ likes or dislikes, personality traits, or physical features that cannot be removed or “fixed” with plastic surgery. The author points out that, “Expending mental energy on wishing you can change things that are never going to change is a waste of your time and will inevitably lead to sadness.” Instead, put all that energy into learning how to accept the fact that these are unchangeable, and move forward. This will get students closer to accepting themselves. 

Self acceptance is important as students are learning to love themselves. Even if students aren’t focusing on self love, they should still learn to accept themselves in order to be content with who they are. There are many more ways to get students started on the path to self acceptance, but the few listed above can definitely get them started.