ACCEPTANCE MONTH: DAY 17: “The entire quest is for acceptance. You run from pillar to post for being accepted as you are. This quest ends only when you realize that the most important in life is to accept yourself totally, wholly and completely. Unfortunately, that is a long drawn process, and it takes time to reach that level. However, once you reach that stage, you are at entire peace with yourself.”― Neelam Saxena Chandra
Self-acceptance, self-love, self-esteem, self-worth are all the same thing. When I have these, I am in good emotional, physical, spiritual, mental health.
It is not possible for me to have self-acceptance and not care for myself in good ways. People talk about good self-care, but do not understand that it means ALL aspects of wellness. It is not indulging myself in foods that are unhealthy, or in reading, writing, watching unhealthy things in movies or television. I do not sit for hours and stare at screens when I am in self-acceptance. I am mindful of how I walk through the world because I am fully aware of my connection to it.
I do not overconsume unhealthy anything, including gossip and trashy media, or breathing foul air, or letting my body fall apart because I am not “into” taking care of myself.
Self-loathing is what those behaviors look like. I have hated me. More than anyone on the planet, I hated ME. And I know what the differences are today. And have been for many years now. The idea that we can claim good self-esteem or recovery and still treat ourselves or others poorly in any way is not a possibility.
I do not consider my lifestyle a sacrifice. I consider it a privilege to learn to be the best Kelly I can. This means I fuel my life, my body, my environment, my world with only those things that are not toxic to any system anywhere. This is how it works, and it is really good.
Dolphin Hug 