Be Satisfied With Yourself
The stay home period has helped me to pursue my dreams. I have more time to work on my book and develop my course materials for the programs that I aim to launch later this year. Last week, I created a YouTube Channel called "The Living Room". This will feature real women and experiences in addressing topics like confidence, self-esteem, identity, and other related topics. I was editing my second episode yesterday, and trying to ensure that it is perfect. I wanted to make sure it looked good, and the finishing was smooth. Then I realized, what difference does it make. People are more interested in the content than the delivery. If the delivery is done with some hiccups, that goes to show the person is only human. A lot of people will be able to identify with someone like that.
I used to assume that I was a perfectionist but as I studied more into my traits, I realized I was less of one. People are subconsciously working towards being a perfectionist. They try hard to please people and want to ensure that they get everything right. Failing is not an option. It is a reason why people start doing things for a passion and end up hating it because of all the stress. In comparison to high achievers who take pride in their accomplishments, perfectionists tend to spot imperfections in their work and themselves. They end up setting unrealistic goals and feel like a failure when they have come short of achieving them. They end up wallowing in negative feelings as a result of their high expectations going unmet.
They avoid failure as they are incapable of handling the pressure. They put so much emphasis on results that failure seems a very scary prospect for them. Hence, many people tend to be unhappy and suffer from low self-esteem. Their critical nature and rigidity push others away from them. In summary, these are the traits of a perfectionism:
Self-worth that is dependent on achievements, appearance, and outcomes
Fear of failure
Unrealistic high expectations
Critical inner voice
As a result, there is a rise in depression, anxiety, OCD, social anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks, and you get the idea. You end up being your own worst enemy. Especially during a time like this, it is easy to feel like a failure when you feel like you have not achieved anything as compared to your peers. The best way to overcome this will be to invest yourself and practice self-care. Engage in keeping yourself happy. Stop taking on too many things that you can handle. It decreases efficiency and disrupts memory and creates more stress. Learn to let go, and take failure positively. Surround yourself with people who care about you. Get yourself a new hobby. As you keep your inner self happy and joyful, you will put less emphasis on other things.
Photo by Alex Block on Unsplash