WRITER'S BLOCK: SELF-ACCEPTANCE

Self-acceptance is very much related to forgiveness.  In fact, once you have forgiven yourself, you may notice you are in a self-accepting state.

You don't need to "hit the wall" of missing your specific writing goal to allow yourself to be self-accepting.  Rather, it can and needs to be an ongoing process.

Carl Rogers, an important figure in clinical psychology 1950s talked about unconditional positive regard.  His belief was that unconditional positive regard leads to self-acceptance.   His ideas have led to a widespread acceptance in the world of psychotherapy of the need for a positive connection between the therapist and the client for healing to take place.  This positive connection sets the condition for unconditional positive regard.  It's a small step from a positive connection between the therapist and the person to a positive connection between the person and the unaccepting part of the person.

Writers are known to have an unaccepting critical part.  It's only human.  And so, the more the writer can be aware of the need for self-acceptance, the more the writer can help dampen the voice of the inner critic.  (I've talked in earlier posts about the inner critic.)

What was once the domain of psychotherapy has reached far beyond, affecting all areas of growth and development.  We cannot, should not, minimize the necessity of working towards self-acceptance.  The writer in us needs that.