Self-Acceptance is a Powerful Part of Self-Care

Self-acceptance and body acceptance are deeply personal aspects of life. And together, they form a genuinely important foundation for your self-care, and living a fulfilling, meaningful, and healthy life.

Self-acceptance allows you to be at peace with yourself (the parts you're proud of, the ones you’re working on, and even the bits you’d rather hide). What makes it a cornerstone of great self-care is the conscious decision to love and appreciate yourself as you are, without waiting until you’ve ticked off an unending impossible list of self-improvements, and without needing anyone else’s approval.  

When you stop fighting who you are, everything softens. Confidence grows naturally, self-worth deepens, and life starts to feel lighter. You begin to show up for yourself from a place of love, not criticism. It’s not going to be convincing yourself that any flaw is a secret strength. Nor does it mean never wanting to better yourself. Self-acceptance means you stop having a conditional self-worth, and finding worth beyond competition and comparison or perfection.

Why Self-acceptance Matters More Than You Realise

I always come back to the words of Walt Whitman, “I contain multitudes”. It is an obvious and fundamental truth of each of us that it used to excuse and placate anyone else but ourselves.

You contain multitudes: your imperfections alongside capabilities, your insecurities alongside your talents. It is a part of being human. And this shift from a constant self-monitoring to an allowance of who you are completely means you there is more time, space, and energy to pursue what matters to you. Shoulders begin to drop without the heavy weight of self-criticism and perceived external perceptions. Jaws unclench. Anxiety often quietens down a bit. Lungs open. Heart rate slows. Confidence and self-trust build. Self-esteem and self-worth improve. And all the healthy mindsets can take root.

Cultivating self-acceptance requires practice and patience. It means catching those harsh inner monologues and gently replacing them with something kinder. Practices like mindfulness, meditation, and journaling can help, but really, it's about giving yourself grace.

“Love yourself first, and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” ~ Lucille Ball

Understanding Body Image

Unfortunately, many of us grow up tying much of our self-acceptance and self-worth with what our physical body looks like. There has always been an emphasis on our appearances, particularly with social media (from pretty privilege to thin is always in) and the increasing access to appearance altering surgery and drugs.

Your body image is how you see and feel about your body. It shapes how you think, move, and carry yourself (and it can change from day to day). It’s usually an emotional picture, charged either positively or negatively. A healthy body image means you can look at yourself with kindness, think about your body without spiralling, and treat it with genuine care. It might not look like loving every inch of yourself all the time. But it will look like respect and care for every inch of yourself, even on hard days.

Body Positivity Movement vs Body Acceptance Movement

The body positivity movement was incredibly important. It rose to prominence as a necessary outcry against brands and media for their glaring lack of inclusive body types and beauty standards. It was a massive, collective push for representation, which we absolutely needed!

However, while a positive mindset is necessary to live a happy and full life, sometimes toxic positivity can creep in. This is when you feel you must be positive all the time, which can leave you feeling guilty or hard on yourself for having perfectly normal, slightly negative thoughts or insecurities. So, while the body positivity movement is inclusive and a needed step forward, sometimes the pressure to be always positive can be counterproductive.

This is where the shift to the body acceptance movement comes in.

The body acceptance movement is a more gentle, nuanced approach. It gives us permission to acknowledge our insecurities and simply accept them without having to love them fiercely every single day. It’s about cultivating respect and understanding for your body as it is, knowing that your acceptance levels will naturally ebb and flow with your mood or the day's challenges.

Maybe most crucially, the difference lies in the body acceptance movement focusing the lens back on the individual, away from the demands on companies and brands like the body positivity movement. It truly leans into the practices of self-acceptance, which supports real self-care.

“The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.” ~ C. Joybell C.

How to Nurture Self- and Body Acceptance (Without the Pressure)

Much like the weather, self-acceptance can be glorious one day and a bit overcast the next. And much like self-confidence, self-acceptance can be built with self-compassion. Here are some tips to help nurture both self- and body acceptance.

1.Invest time and money into hobbies (unrelated to appearance)

Spend your time and attention on things that make you happy, inspire you, and connect you with community – and have nothing to do with how you look. Hobbies remind you that you’re so much more than how you look. They connect you with your creativity, curiosity, and sense of play.

Learning new skills and nurturing interests are essential to a truly wholesome self-care routine. They enrich your life, give you interesting things to chat about, and serve as a beautiful reminder: your appearance is almost certainly one of the least interesting things about you.

Your passion for turtles is beautiful. Your love for writing is fascinating. Your drawing skills are remarkable. The body you have is home to a spirit that shines beyond the physical.   

“Today is life – the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.” ~ Dale Carnegie

2. Lessen time on appearance-focused media

You need to know who and what influences you. Pay attention to what you consume online. Much of what makes us self-conscious originates externally. So much of what we feel insecure about begins with comparison. Even when you know social media is curated, it can still chip away at self-worth on vulnerable days. Adverts are designed to make us feel insufficient, algorithms reward comparison, and carefully curated feeds present fiction as reality.

Unfollow or mute accounts that make you feel less than. Fill your feed with creators who remind you to rest, laugh, and appreciate life. And whenever you can, step away from the screen and step outside. The real world offers far better perspective than any filtered post ever could.

“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” ~ Joseph Campbell

Related read: Social Media Is Dead and Everyone Really Is Leaving Now

3. Your body holds the features of your ancestors

Here's a perspective shift that I found quite moving: your features aren't random, and they're not mistakes. They're a living archive of your ancestry. The shape of your nose, the colour of your eyes, the curve of your smile, the way your body is built - these are echoes of the people who came before you.

Bodies shouldn’t become trends. It’s your home and your history. So even when your features might not match this season's beauty trends (which will be different next season anyway), they connect you to something far older and more meaningful than fashion. And that, sweet Earthling, is a beautiful thing.

“Do something every day that is loving toward your body and gives you the opportunity to enjoy the sensations of your body.” ~ Golda Poretsky

4. Be kind to yourself

Small acts of self-compassion compound over time. And self-acceptance is built in these small, consistent moments.

• Journal through your feelings to process and let go of the day’s emotional clutter.

• Consciously practice positive self-talk and affirmations. Work on creating a new, truer, and kinder narrative about yourself and your looks.

• Leave little compliment notes for yourself around your space, saying things like, You look beautiful today, or You are powerful and capable.

• Choose kindness over self-judgement as you become your own champion, not enemy.

• And finally, give yourself a big, reassuring hug.

Remember, self-acceptance and body acceptance are ongoing journeys. And it is important to be patient and kind to yourself along the way. You have one life in this body. Appreciate it and embrace it so you can fully live your wildly beautiful life.

[Updated in 2025]

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Affirmations: I love and accept myself. I appreciate and acknowledge all of me.

Journal prompts: What are my favourite qualities about myself? When I look in the mirror, what do I look at first? How can I speak kindly about this body part from now on?

Exercise: Give yourself a hug

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