WTF is radical self-acceptance?

In a world that is constantly asking us to be “better” than we are, it is a courageous act to accept ourselves. But there comes a point in our lives when feeling whole and complete within ourselves becomes more important than fitting in or being who other people expect us to be. We get to a place where we finally get, with every fiber of our being, that self-acceptance, rather than trying to “fix” ourselves, is the path to wholeness.

Radical self-acceptance stretches beyond how we think of ourselves. It us acknowledging our whole beings. Recognizing our thoughts, behaviour, lifestyle, and most importantly our real competition. Our ego we feed, unhealthy food we consume, knowledge and opportunities we neglect, negative behaviour we nurture, inspiration and creativity we abandon. Self-Acceptance is understanding that everyday is a new chance to beat our competition and be our best selves.

This includes deeply accepting and loving your body, protecting yourself against harsh criticism, believing in your capabilities, and embracing your sexual energy. Practicing radical self-accpetance brings consciousness to your qualities both good and bad and releases the feelings of guilt, shame, and unhappiness.

Radical self acceptance is the key to liberation. Unconditional self-love is the first step towards it.

Without self-acceptance our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing can suffer and lead to serious health issues later in our life. The lack of awareness and connection to oneself can lead to depression, severe anxiety, eating disorders, high levels of stress and damage one’s ability to connect with others in social situations. Ultimately lack of self-acceptance leads down a quick spiral of rejection of oneself and isolation towards anyone around who might be trying to offer help.⠀

I love myself for who I am and I accept myself for who I am is harder to do than it is to say. We all go through life trying to so hard to uncover the person we are meant to be inside. Part of it is accepting the flaws, the imperfections, and accepting that we will always be a work in progress.

When I became a mom I had this “idea” of who I had to become and what I had to give up. I always thought I had to hide this “sexiness” because I birthed kids and couldn’t show that side of me. For a while I felt like I was living in turmoil especially when seeing images of women whom in my eyes were simply gorgeous AF. In some ways I created this idea of who I couldn’t be. But the reality is my low opinion about myself wasn’t modesty, it was a destructive path that led to a version of me that lacked self confidence to carry her life as a mother and all other aspects of my life.

Like the wise Coco Chanel said, “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” So if that’s the case I’m gonna choose to be smart and sexy because to me there’s nothing more fierce than a woman who has the brains to succeed in life with a little bit of sass.

Affirmations for radical self acceptance:

I am a both a masterpiece and a work in progress.

I will always choose courage and bravery over perfection.

I choose learning to love myself and self acceptance before conforming to any standards that society has placed on me as a woman.

I am a womxn in progress.