The core of a healthy person is acceptance, for themselves and others. How do I achieve that you ask? One way is to extend to yourself the same kindness you would like others to extend to you or that you may extend to people in your life. Sometimes people have trouble with self-acceptance because they have experienced abuse or trauma in their life and believe they are not worthy. The answer to that is more spiritual than emotional in nature. It requires that people recognize that their sense of worth comes not from their experiences, their accomplishments, or their relationships with other people. The core of self-acceptance comes from the belief that we are worthy simply because we exist, because we are here. Once we truly open ourselves up to that belief, we can embrace all of who we are… the pretty and the not-so-pretty parts of us.