Acceptance is extremely important in every relationship we have with another person. We always seek acceptance, even if we like to tell ourselves that we don’t. But seeking acceptance is a natural part of being human. We seek acceptance from our friends, our families, or coworkers, and even from strangers.
Researchers have long been putting in the work to understand why we need acceptance from people, especially from people in our romantic lives. Being with someone who accepts you completely will make changes to your life that you may never have guessed.
Here Are 6 Reasons Why You Need Someone Who Accepts You Completely In A Relationship
1. Less resentment
When we are met with a lack of acceptance from people who we love, this can slowly grow resentment in our minds. Having a partner who accepts you completely, no matter what, means that you won’t have any resentment.
“Accepting people does not itself mean agreeing with them, approving of them, waiving your own rights, or downplaying their impact upon you. You can still take appropriate actions to protect or support yourself or others,” says neuropsychologist and author Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
However, no one likes to be told what to do, how to do it, or be told that the things they do or like are unacceptable – especially if they’re not harming themselves or others. Resentment can cause a number of different mental and emotional problems, from anxiety to depression. It can even irreparably damage relationships. Relationships should be about acceptance of one another, not fostering resentment.
2. It brings closeness
Acceptance fosters closeness between both partners.
“We have all had moments when we wished our partner was thinner, wealthier, more romantic, and so on. Take a look at your expectations and ask yourself how realistic they are. Unrealistic expectations lead to chronic frustration, which my study found is the main reason relationships fail,” says relationship expert, author, professor and therapist Dr. Terri L. Orbuch.
Being with someone is often a learning curve, and learning to trust someone can take a while. When you’re with someone who accepts you for who you are, completely, then it brings both partners close together. Being aware that your partner accepts you for who you are opens up trust that allows partners to connect and grow closer together. It can even improve a relationship when acceptance replaces nonacceptance.
3. Personal growth
When you are with someone who doesn’t accept you for who you are, your personal growth is stunted. When someone doesn’t accept you, even when they never say it, they will still act and behave towards you in a way that shows that lack of acceptance. On the other hand, when you find someone who accepts you as you are, your personal growth expands. You are capable of learning new things and experiencing growth as a person. You’re able to foster your own unique abilities and skills without judgement.
“It’s good when someone encourages you to be the best you can be. As long as you still get to be you. Pushing our loved ones to be better is part of what a successful relationship entails. However, if your loved one asks you to be things you’re not, or compares you unfavorably to others, then you should hear warning sirens in your head,” says translator Carolina June.
4. Letting go of control
We can’t control everything. When we try to control everything around us, especially other people, we’re left feeling frustrated and anxious.
“When we start a relationship we like to feel in control, powerful even – to protect ourselves from the vulnerability that comes with opening up to a lover. We may carry the hurt from past relationships, so we protect ourselves by trying to appear in control. Yet no relationship was ever deepened by lovers’ attempts to assert themselves over each other – rather, it is through the mutual exploration of their imperfections, fears and anxieties that true connection occurs. It may sound counterintuitive but it’s true,” says couples’ counsellor David Waters.
Having someone who accepts us for our flaws and uniqueness means that we have the ability to let go of that need for constant control. We want to control everything that we do, and we want to control how people see us. But since we can’t control how other people feel about us, we are often left feeling upset. Having at least one person who accepts us completely begins to free us from that need of control.
5. Peace and serenity
Being surrounded by people who don’t accept us, or parts of us, can leave us feeling like we’re caught in a world of anxiety and chaos. We don’t feel good about ourselves, and that can harm so many different facets of our lives. The importance of peace in our lives shouldn’t be overlooked. When you have someone who accepts you completely, you’ll be able to find an easier peace and serenity that you may not have known before.
“When we accept something just as it is, without judgment, without manipulating it to be something else or without a label, we experience peace. We can have the same peace in our relationship when we learn to accept our partner’s behavior without judgment or without trying to change them in some way. Letting go of our expectations of how we think they should be sets us free and we experience peace,” says therapist Tara Mills.
We all deserve to have a place in our lives where we know peace, and being with someone who accepts you completely can be that place.
6. Great self-esteem
Self-esteem shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to mental and emotional health. With a lack of self-esteem comes a lot of depression and anxiety.
“People with low self-esteem tend to have “lower quality relationships” than people with healthy self-esteem. Their relationships have less love and trust, and more conflict and ambivalence. People with low self-esteem’s relationships are also less stable (more likely to break up),” says psychologist and author Alice Boyes, Ph.D.
“The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance.” – Brian Tracy
When we are with someone who doesn’t accept us completely, our self-esteem can drop drastically. On the other hand, having someone who can support you and accept you completely will raise your self-esteem, even when other people in your life don’t show you that same support or acceptance.
Final thoughts
Acceptance is a part of human existence. We seek acceptance from all kinds of people in our lives. Not everyone we come across will accept us for who we are, or accept us completely. However, being with someone who accepts us can drastically change our mental and emotional health, and researchers have agreed that acceptance is important to our well-being.
