In today’s internet-mediated world, where social media can too often serve as an echo chamber filled with polarizing and extremist opinions, it’s almost too easy to fall into the trap of black or white thinking.
Self-perceived failures in meeting expectations can easily lead to a downward shame spiral. It can feel hard to protect our sense of self-worth and authenticity amidst all the noise.
So far I have focused on the insidious cultural messaging that feeds women’s tendency towards perfectionism. In this post, I do a deeper dive into understanding the different types of perfectionism that tend to plague us.
Many women feel implicit social pressure to literally and figuratively “smooth out the wrinkles”; they live in fear that one small misstep will result in the whole set of dominoes toppling down.
When you find yourself being your harshest critic, try to catch yourself and remind yourself to show compassion to yourself just as you would try to show compassion to a friend or loved one.
