❤️ Building Self-Awareness and Self-Acceptance ❤️
Hello, Lovely Community!
Today is the Day-9 of our Self-Esteem Challenge. (The master post for the event is given here ). We will be focusing on the concept of Self-awareness and Self-acceptance which can help us in getting to know ourselves better, and also help us in building our self-esteem. ❤️
Let us know your thoughts and answers to the questions/ icebreaker below, in this thread! 
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Self-awareness is when we observe and focus our attention on ourselves by being honest as well as introspective so that we can focus on the reality of our emotions and behavior. Self-acceptance is all about having a realistic awareness of our inner voice which helps us in recognizing that we all can make mistakes being imperfect, as well as we have the ability to attain noteworthy accomplishments. Evaluation of self helps in understanding the reasons behind our actions and working on changing the aspects of oneself which needs improvement, leading to acceptance of oneself.
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Focusing on our mind and body, allows us to sensibly evaluate what we receive from outside and what we offer from inside of ourselves. It enables us to pay attention to our feelings, thoughts, beliefs, sensations, reactions, triggers, needs, and habits. Concentrating the attention on oneself involves being aware of one's emotions, identifying them, accepting their presence, and understanding their impact. To develop a thoughtful mindset involving awareness and acceptance of self, some effort and time for reflection with self is required, but this mindset can help us in increasing our EQ, self-esteem, and empathy, making our life meaningful, opening ourselves to new opportunities as well as becoming the best version of ourselves, once we begin practicing it.
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We can learn to build Self-Awareness and Self-Acceptance within ourselves by practicing some activities, such as: Reflecting on our thoughts/emotions - Reflection brings perspective and understanding in our lives which helps to be aware; Monitoring our Self-Talk - Paying attention to what we say and think about ourselves, challenging any thought which is inappropriate/negative; Being open to Suggestions - Asking for feedback from supportive and trustworthy people; Sharing and considering perspectives - Making an attempt to view things from another's perspective and sharing our own perspectives; Noticing and reflecting what bothers you about others - Paying attention to the aspects of other people that irritates us. Evaluate whether it is really about their behavior or is it some quality in them that we disapprove of in ourselves, which is getting reflected back to us; Journaling - Recording our thoughts/emotions to identify, clarify and accept their presence; Practicing mindfulness, meditation, or yoga - These activities can help regulate our emotions, improving our physical and mental health.
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�❤️ Here are some questions to ponder! ❤️
1) How can self-awareness help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed?
2) How can self-acceptance help us unlock our motivation to make progress in our life?
3) What does it mean to be ourselves?
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Icebreaker: What can you do to become a better version of yourself and what are three goals that you can set to work on yourself? Let us know! �
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Thanks to everyone in the team who have contributed ideas and content for this event. 
Team Contributors: @KristinHelps @Asruu @Starmedia
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1) How can self-awareness help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed?
When feeling overwhelmed, we can underestimate our abilities. Being self-aware helps us to calm down a being more rational.
2) How can self-acceptance help us unlock our motivation to make progress in our life?
If I can accept that I'm not very good at something, I can lift the block of being afraid to fail/not being good enough. I can then actually work on becoming better, because I have identified my weakness and can try to improve it.
3) What does it mean to be ourselves?
To be myself means that I feel good in my own skin. I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses and I know how to work with them.
Icebreaker: What can you do to become a better version of yourself and what are three goals that you can set to work on yourself? Let us know!
1. Be more productive - sometimes I lose time in procrastination, sometimes I'm just not motivated enough.
2. Work on being more mindful. I do get stressed easily, in our family we call it "miss catastrophe". So being mindful might ease my mind.
3. Educating myself in philosophy. Learning more about philosophy means, that I can ask myself more questions to get to know myself better.
@Ylbirda
Your 3rd goal is so interesting. I think that's a lovely way to know yourself and thoughts better! Good luck on your goals :)
@ToniJane
Thank you!
During high school, I thought that philosophy was extremely boring and somewhat stupid. But then, during my university time I realized how many interesting idea there are.
@Ylbirda
Isn't it cool how our interests change and grow as we do! I'm glad you're looking into new ventures of interest!
@Ylbirda
Wonderful answers Birda! Calming down, being rational, identifying our weaknesses, working on oneself, feeling comfortable with oneself, being totally aware of our capabilities, and growing.
And, those are really lovely goals to be productive, mindful, and educating in philosophy! Wishing the best for you dear.
Thank you for participating! 
@Starmedia
For me, to become a better version of myself, I need to work on being a bit more physically active. With COVID, I haven't been as active as in the past because my job is no longer in a classroom but in a virtual classroom. Goals to accomplish this-- 1) Go for a walk daily 2) Take breaks between classes and go for a short walk 3) Utilize an accountability partner to assist. �
1) How can self-awareness help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed?
By acknowledging what I am feeling, I can be grounded in my body and not be extra overwhelmed by worrying than I'm feeling more than I actually am. And by doing some belly breathing, I can even calm myself down slowly.
2) How can self-acceptance help us unlock our motivation to make progress in our life?
Self-acceptance can help because to get to where I want to be, I first need to know where I am.
3) What does it mean to be ourselves?
Being myself means doing what feels right and true for me.
Icebreaker: What can you do to become a better version of yourself and what are three goals that you can set to work on yourself? Let us know!
To become a better version of myself, I can 1) meditate every day, 2) get regular exercise, and 3) practice gratitude.
1) How can self-awareness help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed? Self-awareness can help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed by giving us tangible goals to work towards.
2) How can self-acceptance help us unlock our motivation to make progress in our life? Self-acceptance can help us unlock our motivation to make progress in our life, because once we stop beating ourselves up for what we can't do yet, we can move forward and attain our dreams.
3) What does it mean to be ourselves? Being ourselves means not conforming to society's expectations, and being a productive citizen of the world in our own unique right.
Icebreaker: What can you do to become a better version of yourself and what are three goals that you can set to work on yourself? Let us know! I can recognize what I can do well already to become a better version of myself and three goals that I can set to work on myself are having greater self-esteem, being more perseverant, and taking breaks from social media more often.
@Kassy7cups
Hopefully the Self-Esteem Challenge is helping you towards your first goal. Good luck :)
@Kassy7cups
Sensible answers Kassy! tangible goals, self-acceptance, not limiting ourselves for others, and being productive as a human citizen.
Working on self-esteem, perseverant, and having breaks from the virtual world is important too, good goals! Hoping the best for you dear.
Thank you for participating!
1) How can self-awareness help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed?
Self-awareness can help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed by giving us a chance to think before we act.
2) How can self-acceptance help us unlock our motivation to make progress in our life?
Self-acceptance can help us unlock our motivation by allowing us to focus on ourselves rather than how the world views us.
3) What does it mean to be ourselves?
To be ourselves means to be authentic--regardless of our flaws (which we should always be working on).
Icebreaker: What can you do to become a better version of yourself and what are three goals that you can set to work on yourself? Let us know!
I can become a better version of myself by figuring out what my rooms for improvement are. Three goals that I can set for myself are:
1. To assess my thoughts before I react.
2. To be more patient with both others and experiences.
3. To give myself space to think. Like, the weekends, haha.
1) How can self-awareness help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed?
Self-awareness is something that is super important to me. I can't be perfect, and I will never be, but I can always try and improve or at least be aware of my patterns and habits. Self-awareness helps me because I can focus on what is happening instead of my "negative" response. For example, if someone is irritating me and I feel frustrated and say something rude, in addition to making that situation better with the person, I reflect on why I was so irritated and how I can deal better next time (leave the room, take some breaths, put a positive or non-personal spin on how I see their behavior).
2) How can self-acceptance help us unlock our motivation to make progress in our life?
Well I guess that we can accept we are imperfect while still striving to be better! This way we have the freedom to move on, making mistakes and growing.
3) What does it mean to be ourselves?
For me, it means following my own path. I think most people seem to see themselves as following their own path and doing what they want. I am not sure this is always true, though- for me as well. We naturally crave the acknowledgement and acceptance of others, and there is nothing wrong with that... YET we must still hold our true desires and motivations on high (given that they don't infringe on others health or safety).
Icebreaker: What can you do to become a better version of yourself and what are three goals that you can set to work on yourself?
I can be easier on myself. My three goals are to: 1. Break through the barrier of getting something started when it needs to be done; 2. Better use my time and truly enjoy 'wasting' time after work is done; 3. Be easy on myself when I falter
@ethnographer
Well-thought and detailed answers Ethno! Improving self, being aware of patterns/habits, focusing on reality, handling situations better, embracing our mistakes, growing, folowing our path, holding onto our desires and motivations.
Those are really solid goals -to break the barriers, better time usage with relaxing/enjoybale time, being easy on self ! Wishing you strength and courage dear.
Thank you for participating!
@Starmedia
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�❤️ �Here are some questions to ponder! �❤️
1) How can self-awareness help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed?
We can realize that our fears and the feeling of overwhelming are only temporary and it doesn't last forever �
2) How can self-acceptance help us unlock our motivation to make progress in our life?
If we have accepted ourselves as we are, we will not struggle to make progress in our life
3) What does it mean to be ourselves?
Allowing ourselves to be our unfiltered, no restrictions �holding us back SELF
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Icebreaker: What can you do to become a better version of yourself and what are three goals that you can set to work on yourself? Let us know! �
By allowing myself to make mistakes and realize that it's okay to not have everything figured out. �
1. Being proud of the progress I have made so far
2. Encourage myself to always do my best
3. Surround myself with a positive and uplifting group of people �
@CheeryMango
Those are some genuine answers Mango! Realizing emotions, understanding reality, self-acceptance, being ourselves freely with no restrictions.
Loved your positive and cheerful goals - to be proud of your progress, encouraging self, and having positive connections. 
Thank you for participating!
@Starmedia
What can you do to become a better version of yourself and what are three goals that you can set to work on yourself? �
I want to fully accept myself as I am, with my imperfections. I want to accept the idea that perhaps there are things I will never be able to change about myself. I want to work on getting better at sustaining challenging feelings and navigating unhelpful and obsessive thoughts.
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@sunflower2480
Embracing ourselves completely is important, Sunflower! Accepting ourselves; sustaining/managing difficult emotions; navigating through our thoughts and growing to be our best selves! Hope you grow into the person you have always dreamed to be and achieve all your goals dear!
Thank you for participating!
@Starmedia, �
1. How can self-awareness help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed? � �
We can focus on ourselves and honestly accept our emotions and behavior.This might help us to see what we�re doing instead of being overwhelmed.
2. How can self-acceptance help us unlock our motivation to make progress in our life?
We can realize that we make mistakes and setbacks re just setbacks to our progress.If we push on we can achieve things.
3. What does it mean to be ourselves?
Like who you re and what you do.
@Starmedia
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�❤️ �Here are some questions to ponder! �❤️
1) How can self-awareness help us stay grounded when feeling overwhelmed?
It will help us to stay grounded by reminding us that this feeling is only temporary
2) How can self-acceptance help us unlock our motivation to make progress in our life?
If we accept our flaws and everything that we have, it will be easier for us to look past the struggles that we have overcome and make something of ourselves �
3) What does it mean to be ourselves?
To be who we are meant to be: unfiltered and without restrictions holding us back.
Icebreaker: What can you do to become a better version of yourself and what are three goals that you can set to work on yourself? Let us know! �
I can be a better version of my self by being kind to myself and getting out of my comfort zone.
1. Being proud of the progress that I have already madde
2. Staying positive despite what's going on around me �
3. Looking for good in every little thing �