Mindfulness can help you improve how you feel about yourself. It is important to understand that self-acceptance only comes from within and is very closely related to self-esteem. Self acceptance is more about what you do and what value or value you put on yourself. Self-esteem on the other side is more to do with what you believe about yourself and what you think you can do or be.
Complete self-acceptance is not something that is easy to achieve. This becomes even more difficult by a society that places great emphasis on appearance and the endless messages and images that we come across every day in magazines, newspapers, billboards and on TV.
Mindfulness is about consciously to notice us, but in a non-judgmental way. Mindfulness is about observing everything inside and outside of ourselves, including our thoughts, feelings, memories, images and sensations.
With mindfulness right you notice how things are without trying to change anything, and without allowing yourself to be drawn into the drama of it. This kind of practice helps us to accept ourselves just as we are. It also develops our consciousness and helps us begin to work out which parts of ourselves we accept and what parts we could not refuse. We are not ourselves-generating thoughts and feelings.
Self-acceptance is to accept who and what you are including all the negative thoughts and beliefs you have about yourself and accept any criticism or even without trial. It's about total acceptance. It is not just to accept what you believe is the good thing about yourself, but also accept the things you consider bad.
So even if self-acceptance is about accepting all of ourselves just as we are, we still think our legs are too short or our nose is too large, or the cellulite look so terrible. It's about accepting all parts of ourselves on a beautiful face or a big bum and understanding that this can be changed, or it can not, but at this moment, this is how it is and accept it.
Today, many women find it difficult to accept their body shape and size. Many of us turn to food to hide away from the bad, negative thoughts and feelings we have about the body. Using food to control how we feel about ourselves can lead to yo-yo dieting and we may end up feeling guilty every time we eat. This can have a major impact on our self-esteem and how we feel about ourselves and can become a vicious circle, eat when we feel bad and then feeling bad because we eat.
Understanding what happens is often difficult, but can be the first step to realize what you have done a long time. Mindful eating is a way to change this. There are many ways we can improve our self-esteem and make us more self-accepting. Why not try the following short exercises and find out how much you really like about yourself:
* Write down 7 things you really like about yourself, the 7 first thing that comes into your head.
* Write down the things that you do well, and also those things that you do not just for your own benefit.
* Write down 7 things you like about your body.
* Describe what you like when you look in the mirror.
* Write down the personal qualities you are proud of and look at them every day
* Be aware of how you feel. Ask yourself, if I felt differently, I would see this in the same way? This helps you to understand how thoughts are only temporary and it is our mental attachments to those who give us the pain and grief we suffer.
* Keep a feelings journal and write all your positive and negative emotions in it. Notice how you respond or react to these feelings and what happens in your life when you feel a certain way
* Create a self-file. Every time someone says something positive about you, put it in the file. Be careful when you write each comment in the file and notice how you feel, what your thoughts are, and if you experience physical sensations while writing or reading comments.
Once you have done this think about how easy it was, some things easier to write than others? If you have found it difficult to set an intention to carry out this activity once a week until you find it easier. Write down how you felt as you did this and then reflect on why this might have been. Printing affirmations can also improve how you feel about yourself.
When we begin to love and accept ourselves, this sets the stage for love and accept others. If we know what our limitations and problems, and is able to be more loving and compassionate with us, so this will be reflected in our relationships with others.
Source: _http://ezinearticles.com/?Mindfulness-Improves-Self-Esteem-and-Self-Acceptance&id=5083047
