How To Allow Acceptance Even When You Feel You Don’t Deserve It

There are times where you may feel like you don’t deserve the love you receive from others. When you barely accept yourself, you struggle to allow yourself to be nurtured by others, even when you need it. There comes a time when you must shed the need to punish yourself and allow loving, positive light to shine down on you. No matter what mistakes you have made, you deserve approval. So, how do we allow acceptance even when we feel we don’t deserve it? Here are 5 ways to accept the love we really deserve:

Remember that everyone deserves love and acceptance

No matter what has happened to you in the past, you deserve to be loved by your friends, family, and romantic partners in a healthy and fulfilling way. If you let your negative beliefs about yourself overrule you, you could potentially shut yourself off from connecting with amazing people and having beautiful experiences with them.

Set boundaries and stick to them

When we set firm boundaries, we protect ourselves from experiencing anything less than what we deserve. Even if at that moment, we feel like we don’t deserve acceptance, it’s important to stick to our boundaries and move on from anyone that treats us like we are less than.

Stay present

Often we are afraid to accept the love we deserve because we are afraid what may have happened to us in the past (abandonment, abuse, etc) will happen in the future. When we stay present, we allow ourselves to be loved right in that moment and fully enjoy it.

Work through your tangled thoughts

When our minds are overwhelmed by negative, anxious thoughts, it becomes difficult to view ourselves in a positive light. If we let these thoughts get out of control, they can be really harmful to our relationships. Stop those negative thoughts, examine them, and sit down with them and see what they are really trying to tell you about your subconscious beliefs. Once you bring them to the light and present them with reason, they can’t hurt you anymore.

Cultivate self-love

If you don’t love yourself, you will find it very difficult to accept love from other people. Start loving yourself by doing the work to heal yourself from the traumas that make it difficult for you to accept the love that you deserve. Prioritize your care by taking the time to connect with yourself every day through meditation and journaling.

You can go even deeper with yourself with the help of a therapist. Our therapists will act as a guide, holding the lamp up for you as you explore and work through the parts of you that hold you back. Based on your needs, our intake specialist will help you get matched up with your perfect therapist. Click here to schedule a consultation.

Starting with a creative written voice and a BA in English from ASU, Alli Cravener has become so much more than Integrative Counsel’s voice! Not only is she a writer who is passionate about connecting concepts and content, Alli is also currently a grad student working towards her Master’s in Counseling. She is also the editor-in-chief, office manager, AND intake specialist at Integrative Counsel. When you call us, you’ll talk to Alli! Alli’s interests include painting, history, learning about other people, and wearing the color pink. She likens herself to a “mouse in a palm tree”, and she loves it that way.