We are fit for everything t-shirt from Title Nine.
I get asked a lot what I mean by self-acceptance or radical self-acceptance and if I am promoting an out from taking care of our physical selves by promoting self-acceptance. I thought I’d answer those questions here on the blog today.
For me, self-acceptance is the notion that I am not fundamentally wrong because of my history or physical body. It’s the realization that I am fundamentally right because I am neither my history nor my body. It’s the choice to recognize my humanity just as I recognize and respect the humanity of others. And, sadly, in our culture and in our time, accepting ourselves is really radical. It’s not common. It’s not expected. And, yet, it can be the greatest differnece maker in moving forward gracefully in doing the work we are meant to be doing in this world.
That said, it doesn’t mean that we get an out for how we treat our body. Our body is our vehicle of expression. It is what allows us to experience, enjoy, and grow from life. If we don’t reasonably maintain our body, we diminish our capacity to experience, love, and grow and, that, too, is a form of paralysis. And so one aspect of the Beautiful You journey is considering how we can more thoughtfully honor our physical body so that it is capable of doing what we ask of it. Being able to do that does not require a certain physical look, but it does require an honorable consideration and deliberate effort.
How about you? What do you think radical self-acceptance is? How do your nourish your body and show it respect?
