A lot of people find it difficult to accept compliments graciously; they either offer a compliment in return and redirect the attention, or they politely refuse to accept the compliment at all. Either way, we’re doing neither ourselves nor the people who want to compliment us any favors by refusing to take a compliment.
While feeling uncomfortable isn’t necessarily a direct indication of a lack of self-love, it can be helpful when on our journeys towards greater self-love to find joy in receiving compliments and learn how to accept compliments with grace. Not only can learning to be more accepting of compliments help us celebrate ourselves, but it can also become a moment of more deeply shared appreciation with the person who bestows the compliment.
Don’t cheat yourself out of the compliments you deserve—here’s how to accept compliments graciously.
Remember Your Manners: Instead of immediately protesting against the compliment by contradicting it, offering proof of why it’s not true, or even countering it with a complimented directed towards the person who complimented you, just say thank you! Remember that at the end of the day, a compliment is a gift, and you’d likely not refuse to take a gift if someone brought it for you, so don’t reject the gift of a compliment either.
Find Your Joy: Reframe your perspective on compliments as being an invitation to recognize your worth and effort, something you surely wouldn’t dismiss as quickly if it were said so directly. A compliment is nothing more than someone who wants to remind you of your worth, so accept the invitation to self-love and allow yourself to feel positive about yourself for that moment.
Take a Breath: If your first instinct is to reject a compliment immediately, some mindfulness training can help to break the habit. Try to interrupt your compliment rejection by smiling and taking a breath for just a moment as you receive a compliment. That breath can help you respond more intentionally and less from habit, allowing you to choose to accept the compliment more graciously
It can be difficult to accept compliments when we’ve become used to rejecting them. Still, in our efforts to improve our self-love, nothing is more important than learning to appreciate when others express positivity towards us.
