Imperfection is not our personal problem - it is a natural part of existing.

By taking the time to explore charged memories in therapy we might uncover feelings that have been buried for decades.

Sometimes the easiest way to appreciate ourselves is by looking through the eyes of someone who loves us.

If you can, do a gratitude practice: Each day write down three things you're grateful for. There are different ways to do this. You can have a gratitude buddy, someone with whom, at the end of the day, you exchange messages listing these three things you are grateful for. Also, you can journal it or reflect on it silently.

I sometimes call this our "spacesuit self" because we come into an environment that is difficult and challenging, where we're told to be different. We're told to jump over hoops to be loved and appreciated, so we have to develop spacesuit strategies to get approval and create ways to avoid being judged.

There's healthy attachment, like with a mother and child. It's biologically part of our survival.

We are continually experiencing the conditioning to hold on, tighten, or resist.