How To Let Go of Perfectionism

Why this resource is helpful:

"Do you define yourself as a perfectionist? Having idyllic aspirations whether it"s never making a mistake at work, being a fairytale relationship, or maintaining a spotless home is generally viewed as a good thing.

But there"s a fine line between working hard to achieve realistic goals and pushing yourself to never make a mistake. One of them is achievable. The other isn"t. Bottom line: perfection isn"t possible.

If you"ve ever felt the pressure of perfection around the food you eat, the amount of exercise you do, or what you see in the mirror, you"re hardly alone. Perfectionism and body image go hand in hand.

Diet culture and the media are quick to tell us how we should look and what we should eat. It"s easy to internalize these messages and feel like we"re somehow not good enough and need to do better.Trying to achieve something that isn"t real or sustainable significantly impacts your mental health and your happiness. Constantly striving to be perfect will leave you feeling stressed out, sad, and alone. That leads to anxiety, depression, and physical ailments like headaches, body tension, and digestive distress.

Besides being unrealistic, perfection around food and exercise are usually overly restrictive. It prevents us from having fun and enjoying life. It fosters unhealthy relationships between us, our bodies, and food. And, it creates a lot of anxiety. Simply put, perfectionism has no place at the table.

Learning how to let go of perfectionism takes work and it doesn"t happen overnight. But it"s a worthwhile cause because when you stop trying to be perfect, you open yourself up to living life with more enjoyment and satisfaction.

If perfectionism has crept into your food and lifestyle choices, here are some ways to help you shift your perspective.The first step to correcting thoughts that aren"t serving you is to notice them. Often, when we"re trying to "eat perfectly" or reach the "perfect weight", our perfectionism is driven by negative self-talk and criticism
Start by working on your awareness of your self-talk by:

Catch the thought in action
Check-in with yourself
What evidence supports the thought?
What is all of the evidence that doesn"t support the negative thought?
Repeat as necessary
It may take a lot of practice, but you can change unhelpful thought patterns over time. Letting go of perfectionism and the anxiety that comes with it won"t happen overnight but it is possible.

If you have no idea how to redirect your self-talk, start by thinking about how you"d speak to a friend who was being hard on themselves. Chances are you"d choose to be encouraging, kind, and forgiving. Try to use the same tone with yourself."

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