Kristin Neff, the pioneer of self-compassion research, says, “Self-compassion involves treating yourself with the same kindness, concern, and support you’d show to a good friend.”

On the way to self-acceptance, follow these 6 steps:

Recognition. You recognize that you’re experiencing difficult moments, emotional distress, or mental suffering but it doesn’t mean that you are weak, or a loser.
Acceptance. You accept the fact that you have feelings that can be negative. Instead of devaluating or avoiding them, think about exactly how you feel.
Self-compassion. Analyze your negative affirmations, like “I don’t deserve to be happy.” Admit that you have them, and ask yourself why you show compassion and accept the flaws of people you love, but you can’t feel the same way toward yourself.
Challenging negativity. Recall stories from your life where you acted in the wrong way, think about why you acted this way. Maybe, you experienced past trauma, or you were caught in a stressful situation? Admit yourself responsible for this act and draw conclusions to avoid similar situations in the future. Think, maybe your expectations toward yourself were too high. Everyone makes mistakes, you just shouldn’t repeat these mistakes in the future.
Forgiveness. Find a way to forgive yourself. If you offended someone, apologize to them. If your behavior was harmful, try to make it up to them. Talk to yourself to get the necessary encouragement. Accept and forgive yourself, because people make mistakes.
Support yourself, show love and understanding. Instead of punishing yourself, try doing something pleasant for yourself. For example, use one of the methods mentioned below.

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