Hi, I’m Hanna, and I’m a recovering profectionist.

I got reminded of this on Monday. After dealing with nagging minor injuries for over a year, I finally broke down and went to the doctor.

Apparently an old injury has never fully healed and is now causing other problems and I’m looking at 6 months of physical therapy and recovery.

While part of me is excited to begin the healing journey and take my self-care to the next level, I can feel some niggling self-criticism.

It’s a case of the dreaded “shoulds.”

• I should have been doing my self-care perfectly already to prevent this.
• I should have been listening to my body more deeply and not jumping back to action as soon as I felt better.
• I should have gone to the doctor sooner.
• I should . . .
• I should . . .
• I should . . .

And it feels icky.

How many times do you “should” yourself a day?

Chances are it’s a lot.

Pay attention. “Should” never feels good.

It’s a symptom of perfectionistis. This is the need to do everything perfectly.

Not only has perfectionitis been a significant contributor to my past struggles with my weight, but I see the majority of the women I work with suffering from it, as well.

It often shows up as:

• The need to do a diet and exercise program perfectly, or you might as well give up.
• Or an unwillingness to give yourself credit for all the healthy actions you are taking, and instead focusing on every place you are “failing.”
• Or anywhere you are beating yourself up because you “should” be doing something other than what you are doing.

Perfectionistis is not only unrealistic, it’s exhausting. At it’s worst, it can mean that one mistake can sabotage months’ worth of progress.

In my case, it’s showing up as the feeling that I need to be perfect in my self-care in order to be credible to you fabulous clients and readers.

For some reason I feel that if I’m not perfect, then I’m somehow not qualified to guide you on your self-care journeys.

Ah, the self-development work never ends!

And you know what? It’s not supposed to.

Because we are all perfect in our imperfection.

So for the record:

• I’m totally and completely imperfect AND I’m awesome.
• My body is imperfect AND I’m beautiful.
• My eating is imperfect AND I’m healthy and slim.
• I’m self-critical AND I love and appreciate myself.
• I’ve created a life that I love AND there’s room to make it even better.

Once again, I remind myself of what I know.

• There is no “one right way” to do anything. 
• Self-care is a journey, not a destination.

By being more tolerant and supportive of yourself, you help lift the “all or nothing” requirement for success—for any goal.

By giving yourself some relief from perfectionitis, you more easily and consistently move towards the best possible version of you—which is an ever changing mark.

I’m dusting off my personal “No Regrets” policy. This gives me the ability to start each day with a fresh opportunity to do the very best I can.

And that is enough.

I encourage you to implement your own “No Regrets” policy.

All it requires is for you to shift your focus from all the things you didn’t do “right” to all the things that you did do that are moving you towards your goals.

To give yourself credit for those things. To celebrate those things. And to start each day with a fresh opportunity to do the very best you can, and to celebrate those actions.

It does take persistence, practice, and patience, but fortunately you don’t have to be perfect!

Together we can do it!