Stop trying to be perfect and #LetGo
Life, what is it if not full of pressure? The pressures we put on ourselves and the pressures we feel come from the world around us and on top of that we often want to be perfect.
It doesn’t help we live in a photo shopped world, I’m not just talking about when it comes to body image, but think about Instagram and the photos of people’s homes. You know the ones I mean, beautiful tidy homes, immaculate and clean, which in reality are just carefully thought through and laid out, to show just a tiny part of a home, that probably otherwise looks very much like yours and mine.
All of this means we often aspire to be something that just isn’t reachable and push ourselves to reach perfect when just being OK or good would really suffice.
Sanctuary spent some time talking to women and found out that scarily 40% of women feel like they are about to burn out and 7/10 of us feel pressure to be the perfect women. So they want us all to remember that we shouldn’t always be about the do list, the must do now’s and the never turning off.
We need to take time, sit back and relax and look after ourselves, we need to try and remember that we are important and that we should #LetGo, even if only for a few minutes each day.
So how can you #LetGo? Well these are just two of the ideas Sanctuary suggest:
Say what you are grateful for every morning.
This one only takes a second, as soon as you wake up or as you are having a shower, just take a moment and think back over the things you are grateful for – another take on it could be to do it at the end of the day and say what you are grateful for that day.
Turn Off.
Set aside half an hour or so and just turn off your phone and your tablet and indulge in something you enjoy, perhaps take a bubble bath, pop on a face mask, cook up a storm in the kitchen or even catch up on some reading.
Whatever you decide to do to #LetGo of the stress of everyday life and enjoy the moment, is really up to you. But whatever you do when the want to be perfect comes to mind, stop and think, if a friend was suggesting they had to be perfect doing this – what would you say to them?
How do you #LetGo off the pressures of life?
*Written in collaboration with Sanctuary.
You know the older I get the less I care what others hink. I mean I have my moments where folks upset me, but its less than it used to be. Soon (I am older) I am going to dye my hair blue, swear up a storm (not when children are about) and not let squat bother me 🙂
Great advice! I really should leave the phone / tablet alone more!
I’m grateful for my amazing children. Its so easy to get preoccupied with daily rubbish and forgot what’s most important. A walk with the kids, leaving my phone at home, is the best way for us to connect and let go
I really need to learn to let go sometimes, totally guilty of it
What i like about this post is ‘It makes you think’.If i am feeling down for whatever reason i think how lucky i should feel as their are so many people worse off than myself.
Then over the years i have changed my opinion on housework,Just do the necessaries & fit in the other when i feel like it or got the time,I feel a house should be a home not a show house.
I must admit though i like to do something worthwhile each day so my day do’nt feel wasted.
I do have a set time each day that all electronics get turned off. I use the time to reflect and disconnect from the rush of my day.
Fab post I love reading your blog ??
I really need to learn to switch off, even if it’s for 5 minutes never mind half an hour! I think being able to switch off really helps recharge your batteries.
It really is important to turn off and we don’t get to do that enough. I appreciate that time when I get to do it.
thanks for sharing. I’ve been listening to this nonstop. It goes with your post kind of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvsAV-MgGao
I need to nt try to be perfect. I think Im the worse about photos.
I love to reading this post, it makes me inspired, no one is perfect in this world.
This is great. I stopped trying to be “perfect” long ago. There is no such thing. I like to let go… its healing.
I’ve found myself having to step away from social media, because I can’t deal with the picture perfectness of things – it makes me feel like a failure, and I shouldn’t feel like that, because, really, I’m sure I’m not!
Most of us try to be perfect. You are right about letting go and just enjoy life.
Blogging definitely helps me to let go off life. I also horse ride which helped me way before blogging and still does x
That’s such a beautiful post Sarah!! Love it! I often run.. I’m busy I have million things on my head .. I don’t remember when I last time sat and relaxed! I am working in the let go attitude now 🙂
I can definitely relate to this post! The quest for perfection is something I’m certainly guilty of. It’s taken a long time to accept my less than perfect home, job and life but I’m getting there slowly but surely! Xx
No such thing as perfect! That’s how every person is unique & I learned that early on. No point in being perfect since it’ll make you feel down all the time.
I love to spend an hour at the end of the day relaxing in the tub. I turn the lights off and light a few candles. It is a great time to try and meditate and let go of the stress from the day.
This is a very uplifting and inspirational post. I like to call a friend for a chat whenever I feel like I need a break from my to-do list.
Ohhhhhhhhh, this is SO TRUE! I’ve gotten the point now where if I’m only doing one thing at a time, I feel guilty. That’s crazy, right?! Life’s definitely too short to be teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown. x
This speaks to me lol I am always running around doing something that NEEDS to be done but really doesn’t. Who cares if my son’s toys are all in the floor? They can wait while I read for awhile, take a bath, and take me time.
I make sure to have family time on nights and weekends. I also have been exploring a bit on my own traveling
We all need some me time. Every morning I get up and have my coffee without my phone or TV on before my son and husband get it. The quite is nice before the hectic day begins.
I had to go through a course of CBT and one of the important things was getting me not to be such a perfectionist, we have to learn that sometimes ‘good enough’ is good enough
These days I spend a lot of my time behind a sewing machine. I used to think that if I couldn’t do something perfectly then it wasn’t worth doing. One day I worked out that making mistakes was all part of the learning process and that “done is better than perfect” The freedom that comes with letting go of perfect is wonderful
I don’t strive to be perfect, but I am constantly on the go. Me time sounds like a plan though. 30 minutes can’t be so hard… can it?
It was only today that I was talking with a colleague about turning my phone off. He’d just been away for 3 days and kept it off the whole time. I wish I could do it for just an hour, I’m addicted I think. x
No one is perfect, even the people who look like they are. We are all just trying our best. Great post.
I can toast relate to this post – I am constantly feeling like I am about to burn out! I used to wind down by taking a bath but I find it impossible to relax with having little ones that need me
Great post, I learnt a long time ago that what you see on the outside is not as it seems on the inside. We all dream of having that idealistic home we see in magazines, on the telly or on the internet, but in reality it is not a home.
It can be hard to get de-stressed especially when everyone can be in contact with you all the time! Turning off is hard but worth it.
This is definitely a good message. I think my parents’ generation had even more pressure. It sure is nice to #letgo
I love this post. I’ve spent too long trying to be perfect all the time, I need to let go and realise everyone has imperfections! x
It’s so hard, though. We are bombarded with “perfect” models and actresses everywhere and it’s hard not to want to be like them.
Such a fab post and it is advice I should listen to more often x
Guilty as charged! I know that I am terrible for always doing or thinking of something. I used to make time for a bubble bath one evening a week, but I’ve let that habit slip. Maybe time to start it up again…
I love this idea of turning all devices off for 30 minutes and it does work when I do it – I immediately feel less stress and more at peace with myself and the world….it’s getting into the routine of doing it every day that I struggle with.
I blog to let go! It’s been so fun. I am a home decor blogger, and you are right! I take a nice picture of the project I’ve been working on, sometimes aiming the camera *just so* to hide the mess right next to it :). I do so enjoying the home projects, but the body image stuff gets me. Thanks for the reminder to let go!
Great post. It is difficult not to envy our peers when prefect pictures of family life are plastered all over social media. I do try and switch off on an evening and embrace my toddler tornado home which I tend to keep away from social media.
I loved this post! I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, how it is so easy to get caught up in trying to look perfect/act perfect/ have everything that’s perfect. I can tell you, it’s way too much work for this girl here! I love the idea of taking each day for gratitude, I’ve written a post about it myself! This was a great post! XO -Kim