The Art of Taking It Easy

We play various roles on a daily basis. Many of you juggle being a parent with duties at work, passions, and household chores. This often requires not only enormous effort and great time management skills, but also sacrifices. We try to fulfill our tasks as best as possible: to meet our expectations, and often the expectations of the people around us. Unfortunately, not everything goes according to our plans. As a result, we often feel unnecessary remorse. Each of you should understand that it is not always possible to be perfect and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it! ?

 

Perfectionism: yesterday and today

I am glad that more and more is being said on this subject. It seems to me that it is especially important for us, women, as we often find it more difficult. Research shows one third of us struggle with the problem of unhealthy perfectionism! The same applies to self-criticism: 44% of women and 34% of men admit to it. This disproportion shows that women are less understanding towards themselves.

What about self-development and ambition? Some people say that striving for the ideal brings us closer to the desired goals. Brene Brown in her book “The Gifts of Imperfection” points out, however, that the concept of perfectionism is confused with the will to develop, and these are not synonyms. The key is the accompanying motivation. I illustrate the concept with physical activity. We can train until we drop to achieve our dream body as quickly as possible, but at what cost? It’s better to listen to your body and ask the question: why am I actually doing this? In this case, it is advisable to make sure the deciding factor is health. As a result of this positive internal motivation, the shape effects are simply an additional benefit ?

 

Sometimes it’s worth taking things easy

There will always be someone around you who is better in a given field. It is natural, because we have different talents, predispositions and possibilities. Each of us is different, but that’s what’s beautiful! Do not compare yourselves to the people around you and don’t try to be better all the time. Move forward towards your goal at your own pace. There will be failures along the way but the most important thing is to learn from them and not dwell on unnecessary negative thoughts.

Perfectionism can block us and prevent us from enjoying our lives. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. You don’t have to do everything yourself. Sometimes it may be helpful to ask someone more experienced  for advice. Do not hesitate to talk and open up to others ? At this point, I will repeat one of the principles that I have followed for years: asking for help is a sign of strength.

 

Goals – the path to success

It is important to define your goals precisely and realistically. Thanks to ambition we notice the need for changes and set the direction, e.g. you want to take care of a healthy lifestyle. Then you should set yourself goals that will lead you to this: regular training (e.g. 3 times a week), ensuring adequate sleep duration (7-8 hours a day) and healthy eating (preparing wholesome meals). After that, you only need to start acting! ? Don’t forget to appreciate small steps. You worked out regularly throughout the week? Great, keep it up!

There’s nothing wrong about being ambitious but in the everyday rush it is easy to forget that no one is perfect and irreplaceable. We do a lot of things and we often do not notice our own achievements. Instead, our internal critic comes to the fore saying that we could have done better. Try to talk to the critic and explain that sometimes you just have to take things easy! ?

 

Bibliography:

1. Brown B. The Gifts of Imperfection. Media Rodzina; 2012