Monday, October 03, 2005

Perfectionism...

"Excessive striving to be perfect will invariably lead to disillusionment, heartache, and self-hatred"...Albert Ellis

Perfectionism fits the personality profile of women struggling with eating disorders, in most cases, and is already present prior to developing the eating disorder. It is complex -- tied to a strong need for approval from others to feel good about oneself. Now, we all know that is a rollercoaster ride, right? Being dependent on our performance, appearance, accolades from others, etc. sets us up to never feel secure in ourselves just for being our wonderful unique selves! What do you think about this? How have you struggled with expecting perfection from yourself?
How has it hindered you? How do you combat perfectionistic thinking with more reasonable expectations of yourself?