An Adjusted Perspective on Perfectionism

Imagine being back in school.

You are getting straight A’s in all of your classes except one.

When you get your report card, you see all A’s and one B.

This immediately triggers you into being frustrated with your teacher and disappointed with yourself.

You begin thinking, “I am not good enough” and you beat yourself up for not being perfect.

Your reaction creates so much stress and tension in your body that you feel sick.

What just happened here?

Chances are you have tethered an old memory to a negative emotion.

When you were a child, your parents may have always fixated on what you could have done better, and this made you feel unworthy and unloved.

They were trying to protect you from criticism and make you a better person by pointing out the areas you needed to work on, but this made you feel like you were never enough.

Since the first time this happened in your life, you created a story in your mind about striving for perfection so you could feel whole.

You started craving validation from outside sources and this rumination has contributed to your struggle with stress, anxiety, and/or depression.

Becoming aware of this vicious cycle is the 1st step in breaking it.

You have the power to shift your story by loving, accepting, and validating yourself as is.

You were never meant to be perfect at everything.

Give yourself permission to release this expectation and start celebrating every little win.

Stop fixating on what is not working for you and focus your attention on your unique gifts and talents.

You are amazing!

This is just the beginning of the positive path to spiritual healing and wellbeing.

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