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  LiveWire / Teen Forums / The Serious Forum / Viewing Topic

How do you accept yourself?
Replies: 2Last Post June 28 9:12pm by Rastafarian
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( duesxmachina )


Dairy Product Addict
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this is probably a really common question but how do you accept yourself when you hate yourself at the same time? Everytime im around people i have to picture what johnny or marc would do or say, because i feel like an ass whenever i talk or move or do anything.

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if you build it, they will come.

6:57 pm on June 28, 2008 | Joined June 2008 | 53 Days Active
Join to learn more about duesxmachina Michigan, United States | Straight Male | 500 Posts | 1042 Points
( duesxmachina )


Dairy Product Addict
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yeah alright cool thanks guys!

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if you build it, they will come.

7:02 pm on June 28, 2008 | Joined June 2008 | 53 Days Active
Join to learn more about duesxmachina Michigan, United States | Straight Male | 500 Posts | 1042 Points
Rastafarian


Yummu

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From what I've been able to find out, from personal soul searching the process of actually accepting oneself for a complete human being, is niegh impossible. Some people even make this acceptance, or quest to become self-actualized a life goal.

From my own life experiences, as depressing as this might sound, you can't dually accept yourself and hate yourself at the same time, neither can you love and accept yourself, or... at least that is my perception, as love of oneself would seem like narcassism, while hate, the entirely opposite. There is a, what I view, a pseudo-sense of acceptance, which maybe a line in the progress towards eventually accepting yourself as a person, it has to do with a realisation that we are indeed fallible beings, and everything we do isn't perfect, in fact, almost everything we do is flawed in some manner, but the purpose is that you are willing to give something your all, and know that you tried your best, even if it is sometimes not enough. The process of acceptance would be to let the feelings of guilt and remorse over the erroneous fact that "I'm not good enough" slide, since that is a gradient based on other people, not on yourself, if you honestly tried your best, to other people, with each their individual talents and weaknesses they may excel, or not, and you, just like them, excel at some things, while not so much in others. The acceptance of your own humanity would seem to be a course to take in the acceptance of your actual self...
It can be a hard process to follow, or even conceptualize. I'm not saying I'm the master of it either, this is though what I've been presented with and formulated within my own mind concerning our (and possible every persons) dilemma. Of course theoretics and practice are entirely different though, and often as ideally as we'd like to be able to just do something, or realise something, and accept it, practical survival gets in the way.

It's a hard path, and I don't think many, if any, know the apparent path, but it is one of self-discovery so I don't think anyone else can really guide or show you the way,  perhaps just the door to get you started.

This door, at least in my perspective, I found, was from attempts at to objectively look at myself, rather than objectively look at others. You know how sometimes you can look on others, and see good, and bad qualities, that you can realize and summarize generally what kind of character they are? Perhaps you envy them, or despise them for their abilities, their mannerisms and general personality. Do you look at yourself objectively, I mean by this is do you really recognize when you are doing something (or not doing something...) you don't like, and when you are doing something you do like?
The idea is to look at those, those behaviours, and mannersism and general personality about you, and the way you are, seek what you enjoy, what you like, and seek to change that which you don't.

So say you're a chronic procrastinator. You absolutely despise that you are a procrastinator, yet you can never seem to change that aspect of yourself, no matter how hard you try. Most advice you'd probably get would be "just do it," or "push yourself," of course that is all good and well, and yes, if you can actually manage that, rather then trying you can get a boost out of self-esteem out of accomplishment -- a recogniction for yourself that you've taken steps in the positive directions. But I've found that often basing thing on action, without forethought, sure you can make 2 steps forward, but eventually something happens, and then it's just back 2 steps and there you are at square 1. Possibly worse, because you're beating yourself up for slipping up and sliding back to the "old" you.
Of course, the idea of acting without the forethought can sometimes work, and eventually change you, it often, or at least I've found takes a lot more effort, or so I've theorised... none of this I've really had a great chance to observe changes, so I ask you take everything I say with a grain of salt, but be willing to try it out, you won't lose anything from it, and you've got a lot to gain by the sounds of it. Anyways... I've found that objectively looking at what is going on underneath can give insight into why, for example, one is a chronic procrastinator. An extention of the example could be that when they were a small child they were found that when they procrastinated their mothers, or fathers did it for them, thus enabling them... such is the idea presented here. With each act in which the subject successfully procrastinates and gets their work done for them, it further reinforces that behaviour so eventually it becomes virtually ingrained in them. Naturally this is just an example, but I'm sure there are spin-offs, or mayhaps you can directly relate to this, I know I can... Anyways,.. the point is  to realise that your subconcious history has enabled you, and often in a way forces you to react in this way. The realisation is often a huge step, but then taking it to the next level, determining whether or not this is an attitude that you want to keep, or throw out, for indeed not all "bad" behaviour is conditioned in this manner, "good" behaviour is too, and it's up to you to decide about it. Now that you've made that choice, now comes the process for you to decide action, now that you, as the example, know what is keeping in the rut of procrastination, what can you do to change the conditioning you've recieved?

This is how it differs from the act of just going against the original procrastination, it goes against the underlying conditioning you've recieved, which is so much more significant, since it focuses on changing what would usually be unconscious processes, rather than actions (or inactions) based on the result of those unconscious processes.

So an example of how you could change chronic procrastination would be too surround yourself with people who won't put up with your shit. Now that's not going to be a comfortable position, most definitely, and it requires great strength, because this procrastination has become a "comfort zone" of sorts, and moving outside is often difficult, even painful, but always keep in heart it is for your own interests.

Now this might not be your direct problem, as I think I've said before, and it is merely an example, but I hope and trust in your intelligence to be able to derive at least conceptually the ideas behind the process I've presented, whether you choose to try it out, or use them or not, is up to you of course and either way not a bad mark against you.

Sorry for the lengthy wait, the serious forum can only get replies from support leaders and often problems can confound people and they don't know how to offer advice, like everyone else, you are an individual, and thus, your problems are very individualized, so it can sometimes be hard for others to relate.

Good luck, I wish you luck in this, and I hope my advice will help, and if not that at least make you think.

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Danse Macabre.


9:12 pm on June 28, 2008 | Joined Sep. 2005 | 725 Days Active
Join to learn more about Rastafarian California, United States | 19306 Posts | 28969 Points
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