Loving Your Authentic Self

Our mainstream culture tells us to strive to be good enough, which means to own the possessions that indicate we are successful, to decorate our bodies with the latest products, to do the diet or fitness program that might make us slim or strong, and to have a curated social media presence that ensures everyone “likes” who we seem to be. Unfortunately the efforts we make to be good enough just reinforce for us that we are not enough just as we are. 

Going to therapy can be another experience in which we focus on trying to be enough. We can identify what we think is unhealthy, talk about what isn’t going well, and discuss how we need to change so we can function better. Personal work is important and meaningful, and we can learn to explore growth through a framework of self-compassion and self-acceptance. Our path toward self-actualization is our process of becoming more of who we truly are. The defense mechanisms we develop throughout life to protect ourselves move us away from authenticity. We learn to hide aspects of ourselves to not be wounded, and we learn ways of coping with pain that cause us to disconnect from ourselves. 

Reconnecting with our true selves requires courage and vulnerability, and this intense process is deeply rewarding. As we develop a more honest relationship with ourselves, we can be empowered to create a life that is aligned with our values and is intrinsically rewarding. We can learn to trust our intuition rather than external messages as our guide. This shift frees us to not seek approval and instead have confidence in who we are.