Overcoming Perfectionism

Everyday as we scroll through Instagram, we are confronted with perfect hair, perfect makeup, and perfect relationships, perfect everything. 

I would scroll down Instagram looking at these perfect girls, thinking to myself, "what can I do to make myself look like that?" It's something most of us are guilty of at one point or another.

And for me, it didn't end there. Throughout high school, I spent most of my time striving after perfection. Losing sleep, missing out on time spent with friends, and more... all to obtain a report card with straight A's. It got to the point where I began to lose focus on who I was as a person, preferring to define my worth based on the perfection of my GPA. This made me extremely anxious and depressed, almost a shell of the happy girl I used to be. 

After lots of soul searching and prayer, I realized that a life spent striving after perfection is no life at all. Sure good grades are extremely important, but at what cost? Being myself, faults and all, was more important.

I began to take little measures to try and overcome my perfectionism. Whether it be through skipping a night of studying to spend time with my friends, or making sure that I did something that I enjoyed every single night. And remarkably enough, I slowly started to become happier. My anxiety began to subside, and I once again began to recognize the girl staring back at me in the mirror.

Throughout this experience, I learned that the only way to overcome perfectionism is through self-love. Loving myself instead of hating, empowering myself instead of criticizing, and building myself up instead of tearing myself down.

I know young women like myself are constantly faced with the "pressure to be perfect". Some days, it seems to come at us from all angles, from the perfect celebs on our favorite guilty pleasure shows, to the models we stalk on Instagram. But the important thing to remember is that love is louder than the pressure to be perfect. Loving ourselves deeply, passionately, and fervently, is the only antidote to the disease of perfectionism.

So the next time you find yourself scrolling down Instagram looking at these "perfect" models and celebs, scroll down your own instead, and love the exquisite, beautiful, and perfectly imperfect person that is YOU.

Imperfectly,

Haley