The difference between self-love and self-acceptance
We just talked about self-acceptance so you should have some sort of grasp of what that is, but what about self-love? They do sound the same but they’re actually different and here’s how.
Self-acceptance is accepting who you are in the moment and being ok with yourself. Bonus points if it’s more than ok. You may not be your ideal place in life but you know who you are and aren’t living in a state of dreaming.
Self-love is, in its simplest form, caring about yourself. You take care of yourself, you stand your ground and you know who you are. Self-love can be hard to obtain, only because we may often be taught the opposite. As children we may have been told not to challenge authority, we may have also been told what to like, among other things. These things have caused us to be untrue to ourselves.
Do yourself a favor and go on a journey of self-discovery. Whether that’s 10 minutes a week or an “Eat, Pray, Love” period in your life. Fall in love with yourself again. Change how you speak to yourself. Establish boundaries with loved ones. Work on your mental health, even if you don’t deal with mental illness, it will benefit you to get objective insight from a professional.
There’s no way we can all be full of self-love 24/7, that’s not human. That’s where self-acceptance comes in. But I’ll tell you a secret, the best way to practice self-love is to try, even if you fail. Everything you want is on the other side of fear.
- Regard Tang