I was a pleasing child, always looking for acceptance, potentially because I was navigating a childhood with a disability I didn’t know I had. When things are good and we’re comfortable with our choice, we seem to want and need less acceptance.

Feeling Safe and Protected

Being accepted can make us feel safe and protected, but it isn’t something we can always rely on. We must rely on ourselves and our own thinking for us to find and have acceptance. I believe how we are brought up is very much the catalyst for our acceptance. Where people recognise and understand their experiences they will be more accepting.

The Past is Part of the Present

Although the past is the reason people struggle with their own acceptance, they should be more open-minded about their experiences. The past is very much part of the present. When you come to understand why something happens in the way it did, you can find a way to bring about acceptance.

Acceptance is Acquired

Acceptance is also something we acquire if we fit into other people's mould of us, rather than it be something in abundance. But the opposite of acceptance is rejection and that can be bad for mental health, if you're not sure how to deal with it.

Conclusion

We need to also look at being accepted in its wider context. To avoid feeling isolated, excluded and lonely, we should also come to understand the universe and how our lives fit into that. Because acceptance is not inclusive, we must learn to like and accept ourselves, because without that, it'll be impossible to learn to accept others. Society needs to be inclusive, so that acceptance is par for the course and open to everyone.