Monday, February 6, 2012

Getting Happy



How do you practice self-acceptance and find unconditional love for yourself? How does practicing love first help you attract more love and happiness in your life?


Self-acceptance is something that has never come easy to me. I have spent years trying to accept myself through the eyes of others. I am finally learning to accept myself on my own terms. The first thing I needed to do was to leave my marriage. A marriage that was an emotionally abusive one and I needed to start working my way through healing from that. That took some therapy, eliminating poisonous relationships and building healthy ones, and leaning on a special person to get me through the initial hell. Going through that process has taught me to learn to ask for help, and it has shown me who I can trust and who I can’t. Finding and building a support system gave me the safety net I needed to heal and get my strength back. I finally started to learn to give myself permission to do things for myself. Things like taking time to meditate and do yoga, or sit and write out my thoughts and feelings in my journal.

In learning to give myself that time I got myself back into a regular exercise routine, and that in itself – good strenuous exercise – gave me so much confidence. The endorphins lifted my mood and helped me to get through the tough days with a smile. The more I put into my workouts, the stronger I became physically and the more confident I became emotionally. The exercise was huge in turning my attitude around. My fear subsided, my desire to enjoy life grew, and my love for myself came back. And this wasn’t about losing weight or looking better in the mirror – this was just all about feeling better, physically and mentally.

As my attitude improved, my situation at work improved. The people in my life seemed to be more positive and my children are happier. My new love for myself has not only attracted a better situation at work and better friends, but it has also brought a new love into my life, which would not have happened without me finally learning to accept and love myself.

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