Perfectionism

I had been feeling quite overwhelmed recently which is normal due to the fact that there is so much to do and having to fit it in where I can.

We all get overwhelmed from time to time but I had spoken to someone recently as I needed help in dealing with and understanding my emotions and they told me something interesting. They said that it sounded as though I was trying to be perfect in all aspects of my life. Seems obvious but, this was a lightbulb moment for me. I knew I was trying to do a lot but I never thought I was trying to make everything perfect. Trying to do everything right can lead us to feeling deflated, emotionally and physically drained and this is how I had been feeling.

I’m not saying that trying your best is bad; I believe it is a great thing to want to do well but it is when we put too much pressure on ourselves to do well at everything all the time is when we can be left feeling overwhelmed. I like my house to be clean and tidy but I have accepted the fact that it will not look 100% all the time. There are some days where I simply cannot clean everything to a high standard because I simply do not have the time or I am too tired. This does not mean I have failed. I used to think that if I did not do a lot of things ‘perfectly ‘ then I have failed as a person. Again, going back to previous posts, I would compare.

This is one of the main issues with social media; we see the highlight reel and can see people’s seemingly perfect hair and perfect house. It is not like that all the time and no one is perfect. With work I would compare other people’s ideas thinking they always come up with super activities (I work in a nursery) and I don’t. In fact I had come up with some good ideas previously it was more of a confidence issue. No one gets it right all the time no matter how it seems.

There will be some days where we are more motivated than others. We should strive to be the best version of ourselves without all the pressure of being perfect. Some days we will try our best with one thing and put less emphasis on another. There is no such thing as perfect really. I’ve learnt not to feel bad about doing what is best for me. If I feel overwhelmed trying to get everything 100% then I will be exhausted and not myself. It’s okay to feel like things are getting too much. I’ve learnt that if I get this overwhelming feeling then it’s trying to tell me I’m overdoing it.

Life isn’t stress free, but life isn’t perfect. Do not be so hard on yourself.