Lately, I’ve come to realize that I’m a perfectionist and that my anxiety and stress don’t react well when things don’t go the way I plan. My mental health, and more recently my physical health as well, suffer when I try to make things perfect in this imperfect world.

The holidays especially add extra stress to my life and lead me to become overwhelmed easier. The time I’m supposed to enjoy with family turns into me having a panic attack by the end of thanksgiving day. It can be extremely frustrating wanting to have a magic cure for your own brain; especially since such a thing doesn’t exist.

As much as my mental health struggles during seasonal changes, I’m trying my best moving forward to let things happen as they will and to let go of control and admit when I need help. I aim to be better at taking time for self-care and to be kinder to myself. I’ve come to realize that often times I’m my own worst enemy as my mind races and tries to make me strive for the impossible: perfection.

Although this season of life has been frustrating, I take comfort in knowing that there are other people out there who can relate to this. Whether is the mental health aspect, or just feeling grief around the holidays because of love ones who have passed on. Just remember, you can’t have joy without a little sadness to balance it out. It, too, will pass.

– A.B.