I’m kind of a self-improvement junkie. I’ve been talking with two of my personal coaches this week about self worth and perfectionism—two areas where I still struggle.
In one of my coaching groups, the question came up about whether self love, self worth, and self acceptance are the same thing.
I don’t think they’re the same, but they are intricately tied together. One leads to the other—first learning the “how” of self love leads to self acceptance, which leads to self worth. The further you go into this process, the deeper the healing becomes.
Definitions
Self love is the act of getting your needs met. It is taking care of yourself on all levels (mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual).
Self acceptance is the act of accepting your whole self—thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and your physical self. Accepting yourself does not mean that you are giving in or being satisfied with where things are. Self acceptance is about the present moment. It has nothing to do with the past or future. It is simply allowing what is, right now, to be okay.
Self worth is your sense of value and feeling deserving of what you want. It is knowing your are intrinsically worthy and loveable.
These definitions came from Christie Inge. You should check her out. She’s awesome!
Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self acceptance. ~Brene Brown
So what?
You’re probably thinking, okay, I get it, but now what?
First, take a minute to think about where you are on this path or, for some of you, if you can even see the path somewhere in the distance.
It’s not uncommon to think of self-love as an emotion or feeling. However, it’s really something you do.
It’s an action. It’s treating yourself well.
Sometimes we may not feel like we love ourselves, but actions that are self loving are easy to implement. You either do them or you don’t. Emotions not so much. So when you don’t know where to start, simply start doing things that look like self love.
As women, we’re often in the habit of putting the needs of everyone else in our life before our own and our own self care practices can go by the wayside. If you’re always putting the needs of someone else first, you’ll end up feeling exhausted, resentful and empty. When you feel this way, you’re more likely to turn to things you know will fill the void and bring you comfort. For me, and I’m guessing for many of my readers, that thing is often food.
It’s important to start doing things that make you feel fulfilled.
Your Assignment
I’d like you to make yourself your number one priority. You can start by making a list of simple little things that make you happy. Then pick one of them and do it today.
