There are few things in life more important than diversity, whether that means diversity of friends, interests or mindsets of those around you. Each personality type has something to offer to their friend group and ideally, each difference in personality is equally respected. Unfortunately, one of the most underappreciated friends is the perfectionist. Before you turn away refusing to admit that this person is you, here are a few things you should know.

First and foremost, no one expects you to be perfect at all hours of the day. Not only is that exhausting, but it's not at all conducive to a healthy life. Developing a quality relationship with a group of friends is challenging to say the least but more often than not, constantly attempting to portray perfection makes the relationships much harder to obtain. Feeling average or even below average is a hard mindset for the typical person, for you, it's 1000 times worse. Try and remember that everyone feels like they're drowning at some point, you aren't the exception.

Transitions such as the time between high school and college are extremely challenging for you, even if you make it seem to the outside world like you're handling it beautifully. You have spent the last four years of your life (and possibly more) developing patterns, relationships, and expectations for yourself and others around you. Starting life over in a new place with a new group of people can flip your world upside down. Give yourself a break, accept that a new time in our life sometimes means temporary failure. If these big transitions were easy we would never grow.

Find at least one person in your life that you can be entirely candid with. Whether that person is a parent, best friend or significant other there has to be someone that you share your weakest moments with. The best relationships are the ones that are built entirely on the brutal truth. There's nothing wrong with FaceTiming a close friend and sharing the worst parts of your week. Being able to express imperfection to someone is essential, even to those that constantly refuse.

You can't fix other people. This is something I've had to come to terms with since beginning college. You are going to encounter so many people that are extremely different from you. Some of those people seem to strive for the exact opposite of perfection and when you care for that person, this is a hard realization to uncover. Just because your roommate studies differently from you or your boyfriend seems to put everything off until the very last moment, this way of organization (if you can even call it that) works for them. Nothing is more annoying than another person telling you to stop striving for perfection, so don't do the same to them.

I first heard the word "perfectionist" in elementary school and for years after that, I considered it an insult. I would turn red and deny the truth when other kids would call me that dreaded word. As I got older I realized that being a perfectionist is a personality trait and there is absolutely nothing wrong with expecting the best from yourself. On the reverse of that, being a perfectionist means making an additional effort to pay attention to mental health. It will never be okay to hurt yourself mentally or physically in order to achieve your goals.

Embrace every aspect of perfection, if anything, being called a perfectionist should be a compliment.

Sincerely,

The Perfectionist Herself