Self-love and Acceptance

These days, I’ve been doing a lot of introspection and self-acceptance.

Someone I dated in the past recently got married. While we were dating, he felt that I did not fit into his standard of a “financially Independent and beautiful woman”. According to him, his kind of women are slim and financially independent.

I had no idea how much this affected my self-esteem, but over time, I started to judge myself and think that I’m not good enough. It dawned on me, that growing up as a kid, people made fun because I was plus size. And now as an adult, I’ve struggled with loving my body and accepting myself for who I am.

However, I’ve come to understand that though I want to be fit and financially independent, I’m doing that for me, for my happiness, and not because I want to fit into Society’s beauty standards.

I’ve had to understand that yes, I might not have the perfect body or finances, but I give myself grace, knowing that I’m a work in progress, and what if the idea of perfection is just an illusion?

Reading Michelle Obama’s “The Light We Carry”, made me realize the importance of self-love and acceptance, and how this has a big impact on our life’s journey. As a teen, Michelle stated that she struggled because she stood out as a ‘Tall Girl’, and felt out of place. She had to consciously remind herself that,

Excerpts:

She’s tall and that’s a good thing,

She’s a woman and that’s a good thing,

She is black and that’s a good thing,

She’s herself and that’s a good thing

I guess it might be challenging at first, to begin to believe in yourself, accept yourself and understand that life is Journey, however, we should know that just like the colors of the rainbow, we all stand out in our unique way.

Abimbola Geraldine Salau

#Love #Peace #Selfconfidence #acceptance #selfesteem #girlchild