National Donut Day!

A donut considered junk food, and you don’t typically eat junk food, would you make an exception because it’s a “holiday”?

Diet is an important component of everyday life and it can become a bit complicated if you’re a perfectionist striving for perfect health. For the perfectionist, it is never good enough no matter how good it gets. Perfectionists strive to reach unrealistic and high expectations, thereby proving self-worth and control over unwanted or unhappy experiences in their life. Many believe that once they get the body they want, they will be happy and all of their problems will go away. This backward thought process along with perfectionism are risk factors for disordered eating and severe eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. It’s once the focus is on genuine care, radical acceptance, and self-love, will they feel happier.

Other times, issues begin when the original goal is to eat healthy – not just for vanity, but for the benefits derived from eating well that impact overall well-being. However, when body image is at the top of a perfectionist’s to-do list, weight, diet, food, and exercise can become obsessive parts of life. The focus is the future and everything that is lacking right now. Instead of calming fears, they are exacerbated. Self-hatred is magnified because according to the perfectionist, they should feel better now but no matter how hard they try, they are still unhappy with their life. The fact that attaining happiness occurs once they change also increases self-doubt and loathing. If I need to look better to get love, friends, a job, a fun life – does that mean that I am unworthy as I am? Any compliment or positive experience may be dismissed as a lie or not even be noticed because it doesn’t fit their worldview and self-perception. How could anyone think positively of them if they haven’t reached their goal? So, it must be fake. This becomes a difficult belief system to break because one moment of enjoyment that goes against the rules is considered a major setback. Let’s not forget about the messages ingrained from childhood reflected in social media that justify conditional love. It takes courage to recognize these belief systems and undo unhealthy lifestyle choices that cause so much harm and damage. It takes patience and consistent practice to focus on the present moment and genuinely feel gratitude.

Do-n0t Damper

Eh, not a typical donut post – but I wanted to point out how perfectionism can put a damper on even a random day of sweets.