I know this sounds crazy, but if you are truly a perfectionist like me, I'm sure you understand what I'm saying.
Everybody has those days where school, work, clubs, practice, rehearsal, and everything else just seems to become too much. Hopefully, these days are few and far between for most people. However, for all my fellow perfectionists these days occur more often than not. It is hard to say how often they actually come along, but practically every day seems to be a good place to start. Here's what a typical day looks like to a perfectionist.
You wake up extra early to make sure your work is done, bag is packed, and everything is in it's place. You head to breakfast and leave ten minutes before your first class starts, even if it only takes two minutes to get there. You sit in class running through your mind last night's homework hoping (but really knowing) that you did it all. You run to practice, rehearsal, or a meeting. You're lucky if you have time to grab lunch along the way. You make your way to the rest of your classes and finally the day is over, right? Wrong.
This is when the perfectionism kicks in. It takes you 20 minutes to organize the order in which you will do your homework, that 10 question Math assignment takes you over an hour and you re-read the English article five times to ensure you understand it.
However, this is not the hardest part. The hardest part about being a perfectionist are when the mistakes kick in. You were so busy with all your other work you forgot that you were supposed to read the next chapter in your textbook (and yes, you do read the chapters). You make a mistake in practice or rehearsal and it nags at you for days to come. Your room is a mess which bothers the hell out of you but you don't have time to clean it. All of these things are a huge deal.
Trust me when I say, I get it! I learned something this week that has helped me tremendously. Give up, forget about it, and move on. Sometimes, you are going to get behind on everything, but know that you will catch up. You made it this far didn't you? The stress of all of these little things can be extremely detrimental to your health, not only mentally but physically as well. At the beginning of the week, I found myself sick, exhausted, and emotionally drained, but I made it through. This weekend I am allowing myself to relax.
I know it sounds crazy, but my homework is done and I will not worry about it for the rest of the weekend. Last night I played human hungry hungry hippos and laser tag with my friends. I'm going to a hockey game tonight and on a surprise adventure and out to dinner tomorrow. Shockingly, I am not freaking out about all of the other work I "should" do. I've realized that we all need to take a step back sometimes and understand that it's okay not to be perfect. After all, nobody is (I know, crazy right?!).
So here is my advice to you. It's OK to be a perfectionist, to strive for the best in everything you do. In fact, I encourage you to continue to do so. However, it is also OK, and necessary, to take a break and stop putting so much pressure on yourself. Know that it will all work out in the end and be confident in your ability to get the necessary work done. Don't read the article five times, submit the quiz without checking your work three times, and go out and have some fun. This will help you relax and be ready to take on everything coming your way the next week, and throughout the year.
