Tips for Practicing Self-Acceptance
“When I was born, grandmama could see it / I be Bentley driven and very strategic / R.M. sleeve, no diamonds are needed / Floors are heated, so be it, so be it,” Pusha T, Clipse, So Be It
It seems like it’s too easy to personalize negative voices in our lives about who we are. We hold onto comments and criticisms and worse - we start to believe them. The, “you’re never going to do anything with your life” or the “you’re just like your father,” or “you just won’t ever change, will you?” What if, instead of absorbing those messages, you started listening to the voices in your sphere who speak life into you? And then practiced holding onto those affirmations? What if you learned to believe those voices and started to accept them yourself?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the idiom “so be it” to mean, “one is resigned to the fact that one can do nothing to change something.” And before writing this post, when I asked my wife what “so be it” meant to her, she described it as “similar to ‘it is what it is,’ and resignation.” The phrase isn’t known for its optimism, so when Pusha T flips this colloquialism on its head at the beginning of the song, titled So Be It, is just one factor that sets the tone for this booming single.
Rather than resigning to the life and the pressures of the world around him, and giving up, Pusha T remembers an affirmative voice as he relishes in the lifestyle that he lives today. His grandmother predicted his greatness, and he decided to live in that prophetic vision and be great - so be it.
What is Self-Acceptance?
To accept yourself is to acknowledge all aspects of you without judgement. Self-acceptance is not resignation and is not an antonym of aspiration, but it is the ability to see yourself through a lens of compassion and without shame.
How Can I Practice Self-Acceptance?
Listen to voices in your life who accept and affirm you: Take a moment to take inventory of the supportive voices in your life. Maybe like Pusha T you’ve got the memory of a grandparent to rely on. Or maybe its a friend or a colleague - what did they say and how did those words make you feel?
Choose whether or not to agree with those voices: Sometimes receiving recognition or compliment is uncomfortable and we’re quick to brush it off as if we didn’t deserve it. Try sitting with the feelings and carrying those positive words with you into your future.
Tune out the haters: While you’re turning up the volume on the affirming voices in your life, turn town the volume or avoid the negative ones
Develop your own voice: Consider which affirmations seem to fit you the most and then integrate them to your own voice. Journal them, meditate on them, say them out loud.
Find voices that empower: Music resonates for a reason - find an artist whose music makes you feel confident, accepted and good. Rap music’s penchant for bravado often lends itself to feelings of empowerment in the listener.
How Future Full of Hope Can Help
It’s not always easy to tune out the negative voices. They’re often loud, weighty, and all too often come from those we care about most. And sometimes finding an affirmative voice and wrestling with the veracity of it can be even more challenging. If you’re wrestling with self-acceptance, choosing to seek therapy at Future Full of Hope may help. We join with you the discount the judgmental and hurtful voices, amplify the empowering ones, and support you to develop your own. So be it so be it.
Reach out to Get Started with Therapy Today!
AI Disclaimer: This post is original and written by Kevin Boyd of Future Full of Hope, PLLC. No AI tool was leveraged to write this post
