Thursday, September 26, 2013

Perfectionism - A Joy-Sucker


“That isn’t good enough to show anyone.”
“Those other bloggers do the coolest things, and I’m always doing the same boring stuff.”
“If only I could drop these last 7 pounds, I would be so happy.”
“Why didn’t I remember to ask her about her trip? I can be so self-absorbed.”
“I should really finish up these chores instead of enjoying this gorgeous day.”
“How do the other moms do it?”
“Why can’t I be more patient with the kids?”

Do any of those sound familiar?  I’ll admit that I fall prey to that type of negative talk despite decades of conscious effort to be positive and self-supportive.  I’ve read self-help books, seen a therapist (a couple actually), tried meditating, kept a journal, written letters to myself. I’ve tried a lot of things, but that unhealthy inner dialogue is really difficult to squelch.  And I think it’s a problem that many of you have as well.


So, I want to talk about it a bit more.  Well, quite a bit more, as in 31 days more.  My good friend, Kirsten, introduced me to this great challenge going on over at Nesting Place.  This is its 5th year, and the idea is to take a topic and then share a daily post about that topic for the duration of October.  So, 31 posts in all. My theme is Stinkin’ Thinkin’: 31 days to a Healthier Inner Dialogue.  Each day I’ll take an unhealthy musing and talk about it. If you struggle with a particular type of bad brooding, please feel free to drop me a note, and I’ll do my best to address it.

All this good fun starts up on October 1st, so be sure to pop on back and share in the fun and learning. If you really want to roll up your sleeves and get into your own October self-examination, why not buy a nice journal and pen (dollar store even has some good ones so it doesn’t have to cost you a lot) or download an app and jot down your thoughts as well (or you could just comment, right).  We’re going to start things off with perfectionism and learn what a joy-sucker that little bugger can be. 

4 comments:

Kei said...

Looking forward to seeing your Stinkin' Thinkin' posts! I can get stuck in a rut of negative thinking from time to time so will definitely be finding your posts interesting :)

Tina Bradley said...

So very true--perfectionism sucks!!! Little shifts--like mindfully redirecting thoughts--truly help to coral this common form of inner bullying. Looking forward to your October launch!!! xo T.

Mindy said...

I find it very curious that your post was directly next to this post, http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2013/09/why-are-you-waiting-for-perfection/, in my reader. Is the universe trying to give me a hint?

I'm looking forward to the 31 days.

Magic Love Crow said...

This sounds very interesting! I have to admit, for me, even though I am a very positive person, sometimes, I feel envy or jealousy, when I look at another female. I don't even know if I am using the right words? Maybe it's because I don't have that special someone in my life, but sometimes I do get down on myself. But, every morning, I do tell myself, I am a beautiful Goddess ;o) I just have to believe it! LOL!