The Unbearable Discomfort of Being “Good Enough”
Hello fellow perfectionists, overachievers and 150%ers. Over the last 10 days or so, I’ve had to change my patterns of behavior drastically in order not to unravel. Doing one thing at a time, not responding to every text or email immediately, stepping back or relying on others – these are all hard to do when you’re used to being the fixer, the cruise director, the most dependable and responsible person in the room. I knew I had to accept being “good enough,” at least for a short time. It’s been uncomfortable, but also a relief, to be honest.
Here are some tactical ways I helped ease the pressure on myself…
Trusting Technology: An away message signaled my inability to respond and eased my anxiety around feeling like I was “ignoring” people (I know, I know that’s something I need to work on). Same for activating “Do Not Disturb” on my phone.
Trusting Others: Sharing that I was struggling to keep up with family and work colleagues helped create space for others to run parts of the relay with me, or for me.
Trusting My Instinct: Being really clear about what mattered – where I needed to be and not be, what I needed to do and not do – helped make decisions quicker and easier.
While these are particularly important strategies for difficult times, I’m reflecting on how to incorporate them more intentionally all of the time. And I hope they’re helpful to you as well.
Warmly,
Sayu