The world today needs optimists more than ever. Optimism, seeing the glass as half full or the conviction that things will eventually work out, is a cornerstone of resilience and an absolute asset in achieving any kind of success in…
Posts published in “Perfectionism”
Want to receive a great gift? If you can imagine a gift as an item that’s not tangible, not store bought, not gift wrapped, yet is something special that’s been given to you, then I have the gift for you.…
A few years ago, I had a delusion that I was Wonder Woman incarnate and penned these words: “I am thrilled to say that my invisible Wonder Woman cape and tights are in the Jeep (along with my faerie wings, which are…
Low self-esteem can turn our lives into a series of self-fulfilling prophecies. Lack of belief in ourselves — the feeling that we are unworthy, or destined to fail — often goes hand in hand with self-sabotage, and this link can…
As we enter the New Year, it’s customary for us to resolve to lose weight, get fit, save money, be better organized. How successful are we at these endeavors? You know the answer! All that falling off the wagon is…
When religious and faithful individuals are told that the unremitting thoughts that they are trying to get rid of are due to their OCD, they have difficulty accepting it. They may remember how and where their symptoms began, and may…
Any creative person knows that pursuing meaningful work also means climbing aboard an emotional rollercoaster. One moment, you’re on top of the world, stepping out onto a stage, or hitting “publish” on a post. Then a disappointing email or a…
As a psychotherapist treating Adult Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers, I see how her daughter, trapped in the role of the “Good daughter,” hides her true self behind a mask of faux perfection. In this article, I explain how she becomes…
Counseling psychologist Rosy Saenz-Sierzega, Ph.D, was working with a client who yearned to find a better job. But he wouldn’t apply for any job until his resume was ready. The problem? It was taking him months to “perfect” it. In…
Everyone has expectations for themselves. We often assume these expectations are reasonable. Yet many of them are anything but. We expect ourselves to work without any breaks. We expect ourselves to have the same level of—high—energy every day. We expect…
The phrase “self-esteem” is thrown around frequently when discussing mental health. In the 70s, programs in public school systems encouraged children to think better of themselves. They thought having higher esteem would bolster confidence and fight off depression if it…
There are many things in life we can’t control—everything from tiny annoyances to tragedies. We can’t control if our grandmother gets cancer and passes away. We can’t control if we get cancer. We can’t control what others think, say or…