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www.i-am-magazine.comBy Emma PeetersWhat DoesSelfAcceptanceMean?What DoesSelfAcceptanceMean?Self-acceptance refers to recognizing yourimperfections and accepting them for what theyare. Rather than condemning yourself, you canstop obsessing about yourself and whatpeople think of you. You can then focus onmaking changes that will help you feel happier.It might all seem easy enough. But when you doa self-analysis and consider the question, \accept myself?\does accepting yourself even mean? And don'twe already accept ourselves as we live everyday?But it might surprise you to know that selfacceptance doesn't happen automatically.Many people struggle to accept themselves forwho they are, even when they're delighted withtheir lives.Self-acceptance isn't about loving yourself. Itdoesn't mean you're saying, \means you accept the way you look and theway you behave. It means you admit thatothers might not like you because you'redifferent from everyone else.The Meaning of Self-AcceptancePeople define self-acceptance as acceptingthemselves for who they are, regardless of theirweaknesses. They believe that this is thefundamental aspect of self-love. This definitionis a widely agreed-upon definition of selfacceptance, but many people disagree.Think about the young people around you. Howoften are people saying, \rare. Some people don't accept themselvesbecause they don't understand what it means toaccept themselves.They believe it means being happy but don'tknow what happiness means. They don't realizethat self-acceptance isn't the same ashappiness. Accepting yourself involvesrealistically understanding yourself as a person.When it comes to the field of clinicalpsychology, researchers state that acceptingyourself is the first significant step towardchange. To accept oneself, a person needs toaccept their inner qualities, strengths, and58