Posts Tagged ‘perfectionism’
We Don’t Need No Expectations
“Hey! Anxiety! Leave my brain alone!…” Alright, alright. Anyway. Expectations are tricky. On one hand, it’s important to have standards and boundaries. Not just important, but necessary. It turns out that standards and boundaries aren’t at all the same thing as expectations, though. I used to drive myself crazy playing out entire conversations in my…
Read MoreDefying The Voice
I want to write. “What’s the point?” Hush. My words matter. My story matters. Doesn’t it? You’re a narcissist. Self-absorbed. Other people don’t have to celebrate making it through life without getting drunk. Other people just deal with their problems quietly, they don’t have to bleed out all over the internet to validate themselves. Do…
Read MoreI Stopped Apologizing For Not Wearing Makeup
“Sorry I’m not wearing makeup, it’s been one of those days.” I’m somewhat embarrassed that it’s taken me this long to stop apologizing for my face. The last few times I apologized for wearing makeup, it was primarily to men, and I remember them looking mildly awkward about it. Not awkward that I was without…
Read MoreDear Self: There Are Some Things You Need to Know
A letter I wrote to myself after a bit of a meltdown: Alright, Ashley. There are some things you need to know about how to live. You don’t really know them yet, but maybe by the time you check out of this life, you’ll have a marginal understanding of these things. We can only hope.…
Read MoreI Stopped Being Grateful
The kitchen is dark except for the counter lights under the cabinets. My favorite sign is leaning against the wall on the counter, “This Kitchen Is For Dancing”. We’ve danced so many times in this kitchen. I stopped being grateful for this house. What a mistake. A ceramic angel is watching me, next to a…
Read MoreWhen Comparison to Yourself is the Thief of Joy
There’s a thought that always runs through my head, every day, all the time: “You can do this better.” Continuous improvement is important to me, and probably to you too. There’s a catch to the “you can do this better” thought, though. The catch is: “and you have to either do it better, or not…
Read More4 Ways To Overcome Perfectionism
What is perfectionism? Short answer: paralysis. Whether it’s visible or not on the outside, perfectionism often looks like chaos and disorder. It’s the exact opposite of what we strive to achieve. Perfectionism shows up in my life as an immobilizing fear of failure. It looks a lot like depression because it is so closely linked.…
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