Self-knowledge And Acceptance In Adolescence – Being Parents

Self-knowledge and acceptance in adolescence can make all the difference  between a young person with a stable foundation and balanced mental health and another lost, unstable and malleable young person. What are these two concepts?

Each parent undoubtedly wonders how to cultivate in the adolescent the values ​​and the correct education which will allow him to discover and love himself unconditionally. Leaving aside the distractions and intentions of being part of an increasingly empty and artificial society.

On the other hand,  the self-image adolescents have of themselves is often affected by comparisons  between the “should be” according to society, parents or religion, the “should be” according to friends and the “ should be ”as reported by media on social networks.

This undoubtedly leads the youngster to begin to forget his identity. To become someone else just because they want to be accepted.  Therefore, in extreme cases, personality disorders can arise.

We know that this subject is quite delicate and complex. But we will try to tackle it. In order to provide you with some simple tools that will allow you to encourage your child’s self-esteem.

Self-knowledge and acceptance in adolescence

Self-knowledge and self-acceptance are concepts closely related to self-esteem. We can define them as the deep knowledge of our physical aspects, our character and our reality. Also, both involve accepting yourself with respect, gratitude, and love.

Self-knowledge in an individual begins at an early age. When he understands that his physical characteristics and behavior may be different from that of his family or classmates. Or that he is able to identify, summarily, his character as well as the physical and behavioral traits that define him.

Moreover, this goes hand in hand with all kinds of information that young people receive on a daily basis from their direct environment. This mainly comes from his parents and classmates. Are they nice or bad, big or small, pretty or ugly, etc. among many other adjectives.

All of these qualities permeate the adolescent’s mind. And allow him to form an idea of ​​what he is in the eyes of others.

This aspect is so important that if the young person feels that they are drastically different from the beauty and fashion archetypes established by their generation, they may experience a sense of rejection and lose self-esteem and acceptance.

How can I help the teenager?

For adults, it can be quite difficult to grasp the generational differences between parents and children. What they sometimes see as a fleeting confusion about their child’s identity  perhaps hides a deeper problem with self-knowledge and self-acceptance.

In this sense, the question is how to help the adolescent to strengthen his self-esteem and acceptance. So that his peace of mind is not disturbed by the daily difficulties of life in society.

The solution can be found in affirmative sentences. Indeed, when a young person feels filled with love, there can be no room in his mind for doubts about his identity and values.

“If a teenager feels that his image is radically different from the beauty and fashion archetypes established by his generation, he may experience a rejection of himself that causes him to lose his self-esteem”.

A few affirmation sentences

The affirmation sentences serve as constant stimulation  so that the teenager understands how essential differences are and accepts himself with pride.

You should never stop telling her “ You are beautiful the way you are”, “It’s okay to think differently, don’t compare yourself to anyone”, “Beauty fashions are fleeting, don’t try to imitate someone. ‘un ”,“ If something about your personality doesn’t appeal to you, you can change it ” , or “ there is a unique love for each of us ”.

Always keep in mind that  the words we speak to our children stay engraved very deep in their heads. It is never too much to stress the importance that they will have, in their adulthood, to love each other, namely that they are unique without having to look like another person.

Finally, it may be a good idea to regularly assess your child’s mood and self-esteem. If you feel that he is suffering from depression, a personality disorder,  or that he is devaluing himself, take him quickly to a psychologist or other professional for evaluation.