How to Live Authentically and Accept Who You Are
Because honestly? It’s kind of tough to do so…
In a world that’s saturated with social media platforms, it’s difficult to avoid the trap of comparison culture. Because, to be honest, when you’re constantly being told that you can always be more attractive, more successful, more productive, it’s pretty darn tough to simply live authentically and accept who you are.
True authenticity comes from accepting yourself fully—both your positive and negative attributes. That said, if you feel like circumstances in your life have led you to giving all of yourself to others rather than addressing your own needs, it’s normal to feel that you’ve lost a connection to who you are, to your ability to navigate life’s challenges with ease.
Enter: The Class, a fitness and mental well-being platform that helps its students deepen their connections to themselves by improving their emotional regulation, awareness, and introspection, and in turn, allowing people to accept who they are and live their most authentic lives.
“In normal, everyday life, we’re given roles,” explains Soeuraya Wilson, a Teacher at The Class who focuses on helping students “return to the self.” “Maybe you’re a mother, maybe you strongly identify with your job. But it’s important to always get back to the essence of who you are,” she says. Think about it: What did a five-year-old version of you want for their life?
“We tend to lose these childlike instincts. As a child, you don’t think so much, you move in an adaptable way,” Soeuraya says. But when taking part in a transformative Class, “getting back to who you are is only one breath away,” she says.
Curious to learn more about how to live authentically and accept who you are with a Class practice? The following is everything you need to know about getting back to you, per expert sources.
Balance the intensity The Class with the flow of yoga and the stillness of meditation
to build an even stronger body and deeper connection to self.
Introducing Yoga + Meditation
Trust: you can learn how to be
your authentic self
If you feel that you’re not quite where you’d like to be when it comes to accepting who you really are, don’t stress. It’s possible to learn how to be (and love!) your authentic self—and exercise can certainly help you get there.
“When you exercise, you’re literally meeting yourself where you are,” explains Dr. Chloe Carmichael, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of Nervous Energy: Harness The Power Of Your Anxiety. Think about it: Through working out you are forced to reach and acknowledge your physical limits (Like if you can only do five pushups, but you’d love to get to 10). The movement partnered with exercise often makes you feel good, too, which is why Carmichael considers it to be self-care. In turn, “it guides you toward self-acceptance, which is important because it’s a foundation of self-awareness,” Carmichael says.
“Without self-awareness, it’s hard for us to be constructive about things we like about ourselves and the things we’d like to improve,” she says. If you can’t learn to accept your strengths and weaknesses, you’ll live in a state of discomfort, stagnation, and denial.
“For our own health and betterment, the first step is always awareness, and a lot of people can’t permit themselves to have awareness of themselves unless they can start from a place of self-acceptance. If you can see yourself in a clear-headed and calm way, you can better poise yourself for growth,” Dr. Carmichael says. And while there are many ways to make this happen for you, exercise is one tried and true method for doing so.
Among other things, The Class was created to increase self-acceptance and living authentically in mind and can really help you come to terms with who you are through moving meditation and exercise.
We all wear many hats and have many roles but can you still be YOU as you change them?
Return to a sense of authenticity and get back to the fullness of yourself.
For starters, you should know that students of The Class regularly report feeling better after taking Class. In fact, a survey of students revealed that, post-workout, 92% of students reported feeling less anxious, 95% percent reported feeling more energized, and 90% reported feeling more resilient.
“Our bodies are like sponges, they’re absorbing stress, tension, and other people’s energy,” says Jaycee Gossett, founding Teacher and VP of Training at The Class who focuses on helping students discover their strengths and explore freedoms. “Once we start to move, we can move through these things that are going on in the body and mind,” she says.
Here’s how The Class
can help you accept who you are
Hence, students are more inclined to have a better outlook post-Class, working through their energies and struggles so that they can accept who they are and live more authentically. And if you’re wondering which Classes to take that might help you achieve a similar mindset, there are so many on-demand options available to you.
Sessions about pleasure teach you how to seek what makes you happy and can help you live more authentically. Others focusing on confidence might aid you in accepting who you are, strengths, weaknesses, and all. Or, if you’re not sure what direction you want to go in quite yet, try different Teachers to compare their styles or try the beginner series class to get a feel for what might be best for you.
Take it from the experts: Exercise is the key, and The Class can—as Soeuraya says—help you return to the self.
Discover who you are
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