We often accept our partner and their needs without accepting ourselves and acknowledging our own needs. Without acknowledging our own needs, we can’t do the self care that we alone are actually responsible for. We can’t even vocalize to our partners our own needs without this basic self understanding and in turn, they can’t help meet our needs as well. Hoping that your partner is a mind reader is an unrealistic expectation.
You need to accept your partner for who they are, and you can accept them for who they are whilst still having needs and asking for them.
Accepting a partner while still not having your needs met, is not acceptance.
Zygote Blum 