Sometimes, as a perfectionist, life can get a bit overwhelming as you try to do it all. If you asked my closest friends (Amy, in particular) she'd tell you how much of a perfectionist I am. For starters, this blog is a product of that perfectionism! Personally, it makes me a more difficult person to live with, and it saps the fun out of everything, including my beloved hobbies. Pushing life to be as perfect as possible, and trying to do everything to the highest possible standard, can have a negative impact on you. Here's some advice:
You don't have to get it all done today. Be less harsh on yourself (I know - easier said than done!) because you'll get nowhere if you're pushing yourself too hard.
I read somewhere recently that you should treat yourself as you'd treat your best friend. It stuck in my mind, because I'm often nowhere near that nice to myself. Are you? It goes without saying that if you're consistently being harsh on yourself, you're going to end up running out of steam and self-confidence. Nothing is worth being self-loathing over. You're worthy of kindness from everyone, including yourself.
Leave whatever's stressing you out and come back to it tomorrow. Or even in a few days or weeks. It'll do you the world of good to take a step back and return with a fresh, clearer mind.
Sometimes, your friends might be able to help you out. Your family might be able to get stuck in. Don't try and do everything on your own.
Get rid of anything from your to-do list that can be done another day. I'm pretty terrible for giving myself a daily to-do list that's longer than my arm. And guess what? By the end of the day, when I've obviously failed to achieve it all, it leaves me beating myself up. Just do what you can today, and the rest can be done another day.
It's not the end of the world if you: don't get a blog post out when you were planning to, don't drink enough water for one day, don't quite meet your daily 10K step allowance (even though your Fitbit tells you off a little); I could go on. You can't achieve great things every single day, because you're only human, and you're entitled to give yourself a break.
It's okay to leave things until tomorrow.
Be kind to yourself.
I read somewhere recently that you should treat yourself as you'd treat your best friend. It stuck in my mind, because I'm often nowhere near that nice to myself. Are you? It goes without saying that if you're consistently being harsh on yourself, you're going to end up running out of steam and self-confidence. Nothing is worth being self-loathing over. You're worthy of kindness from everyone, including yourself.
When you're overwhelmed - just step away.
Leave whatever's stressing you out and come back to it tomorrow. Or even in a few days or weeks. It'll do you the world of good to take a step back and return with a fresh, clearer mind.
Reach out to others.
Sometimes, your friends might be able to help you out. Your family might be able to get stuck in. Don't try and do everything on your own.
Break tasks down.
Get rid of anything from your to-do list that can be done another day. I'm pretty terrible for giving myself a daily to-do list that's longer than my arm. And guess what? By the end of the day, when I've obviously failed to achieve it all, it leaves me beating myself up. Just do what you can today, and the rest can be done another day.
Your life isn't over if you don't get things done right now.
Do you have any advice? Let us know in the comments or find us on Twitter here.
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