To learn more about how animals can be so accepting of bizarre circumstances, such as the ones featured in these photos, we reached out to Board Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Owner of Pet Behavior Change, Dr. Megan E. Maxwell. She told Bored Panda, "Some animals are much better than others at accepting strange or new experiences. This can vary by species and also by each individual animal's learning experiences."
We were also curious how common it is for animals to befriend someone of another species. "Most animals do best interacting comfortably and safely with other species when they interact with that other species from the time they are very young," Dr. Maxwell explained. "For example, cats raised with birds or rodents from the time they are kittens are much less likely to hunt or hurt those critters later in life, and many can live happily together as playmates. However, if those same cats first encountered a bird or mouse as adults, their hunting instincts are more likely to kick in."
We also asked Dr. Maxwell if these animals are likely to understand when they're in an out of the ordinary situation. "Most animals are likely aware when a situation is new or different, but some may show more obvious or overt signs of fear, distress, overexcitement, or avoidance, while others may seem less bothered by novel or strange situations," she told Bored Panda.
If you’re not familiar with the This Is My Life Now subreddit, the concept is pretty simple. “This is a subreddit with gifs or pics of people and animals accepting their uncommon situations,” their ‘About Community’ page states. And clearly, the subreddit has resonated with many people. It has been around for 9 years and has amassed an impressive 1.1 million members. There are only a few rules that the moderators enforce: no recent reposts, no low-effort posts, content must be associated with the subreddit, and no pornography. Aside from that, it’s all just chill vibes in This Is My Life Now.
And why wouldn’t it be? Because as silly as many of these photos are, there’s no question that self-acceptance is important for living a peaceful life. According to Dr. Meghan Marcum, PsyD, one of the benefits of self-acceptance is being more capable of dealing with life’s challenges. When we worry less about what others are thinking of us, we can focus on what’s really important and view situations more clearly, analyzing both our strengths and weaknesses without judgment.
Some of the trademark characteristics of self-acceptance that Dr. Marcum explained for Verywell Mind are being able to fairly recognize what you’re good and bad at; embracing all parts of yourself; accepting your values, preferences, resources, feelings, intuitions and actions both past and present; recognizing your accomplishments without being vain; recognizing your weaknesses and faults without being overly critical; having a positive attitude towards yourself without needing others’ approval; seeing yourself as a whole human being, rather than defining yourself by any single characteristic; and being able to love and respect yourself.
On the other hand, when we have a hard time accepting ourselves and our circumstances, low self-esteem can lead to a host of troubles, including struggling with mental health conditions, having a fear of failure, avoiding people or situations that trigger negative feelings within us, having relationship issues, and engaging in self-hatred or negative self-talk.
“Without self-acceptance, people essentially devalue themselves and this often has a negative impact on all areas of their life, including their work, friends, family, health, and well-being,” Dr. Marcum told Verywell Mind. That’s why we should all aspire to be like the people and animals featured on this list. No, we shouldn’t be pushovers or doormats. But we should be adaptable! If a kitten sits on your back, no big deal. If you’re a dog and your human swaddles you in a blanket, just go with the flow. This is your life now. Anger and frustration are totally justified in the right circumstances, but when something is truly no big deal, why act like it is?
When it comes to learning self-acceptance, Dr. Marcum provided some tips. She notes that it’s important to embrace your values, set healthy boundaries, forgive yourself, avoid self-blame, don’t compare yourself to others, and focus on positivity. Dr. Marcum also recommends keeping a journal, trying out loving-kindness meditation and seeking help from a professional to further your journey towards self-acceptance. It’s not always easy to be as chill with your current scenario as all of the animals and people featured on this list, but if you do the work to get there, it’s definitely worth the effort.
Shonna Waters, PhD wrote a piece for BetterUp examining the path to self-acceptance, and she dove into what some of its driving factors can be. “Some people are naturally more self-accepting than others. Have you ever wondered why that is? It’s because our childhood experiences affect our levels of self-acceptance as adults,” Dr. Waters writes. “Our parents or caregivers are the first ones to teach us which aspects of us are acceptable and which aren’t,” she goes on to explain. “As children, we learn only to accept the parts of ourselves that they deem acceptable. We judge the other parts of ourselves as wrong, and we reject, suppress, and try to hide them. But the problem is that these judgments are arbitrary. They depend on the values and priorities of your parents or caregivers.”
So if you have a difficult time with self-acceptance, don’t be too hard on yourself. The way you grew up likely plays a part in it, but it doesn’t have to forever. “Different emotions are considered acceptable in different families,” Dr. Waters goes on to explain. “If you grew up in a family in which anger was unacceptable, you might be unable to accept the parts of yourself that feel anger or rage. Parenting style also plays a role in your levels of self-acceptance. Children take on board every criticism their parents level at them and accept them as truth. So if your parents were highly critical or demanding, the voice of your inner critic will likely be strong, too, and you may also have a fear of failure. On the other hand, those with more compassionate parents tend to show more compassion toward themselves.”
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