Loving ourselves, being as compassionate, gentle, and loving with ourselves as we would with a best friend can be pretty hard to do. This is especially true for women. As women , we've been trained to deny our own feelings and needs, and to take care of others. And we're also frequently given messages that tell us not to accept or love ourselves.
Many of us hesitate to accept compliments or positive messages about ourselves. Some of us even outright deflect or reject them. Yet taking in a real compliment or acknowledging our successes can feel so good. It can help us feel better about ourselves, improve our self-image and self-confidence, and feel happiness or joy. So why do we not allow ourselves that healthy, healing experience?
There are many reasons why we may deflect positive messages and not allow ourselves to bask in our successes. Often in our society, we are encouraged to be humble, and admitting or agreeing to positive things about ourselves can be judged as us bragging or being too full of ourselves. This is especially true for women and children, who are expected to blend in with the background, and not allow ourselves to shine.
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