Perfectionism
You might take weeks making a decision for fear of making the wrong choice. You worry excessively about getting a bad grade or letting someone down.
My clients often feel like they have to get everything perfectly right. They are their own harshest critic. They don’t want to let anyone down. But the truth is, they are so tired they aren’t really checking to see if anyone is actually upset with them. They just operate as though something bad could happen at any minute.
Your 20s can be difficult. There are professors and bosses to please, parent relationships to manage, dating troubles, roommate conflicts, and more. Whether you need to silence the critical voice in your head or set better boundaries around your time, therapy can help.
Anxiety can sometimes be difficult to manage. Worrying takes up a lot of time. Panic attacks are often a sign that your anxiety has gone unchecked for too long. With the right kind of attention, anxiety and panic don’t have to rule your life. Working with me can get your confidence up and your coping skills on target.
Jody is an anxiety management expert who has been practicing in Tennessee for two decades. She knows the ins and outs of being a young adult managing college and work.
You might take weeks making a decision for fear of making the wrong choice. You worry excessively about getting a bad grade or letting someone down.
Your confidence could be better. Sometimes you really don’t like yourself. Your body image needs work and you spend a lot of time wishing you were different.
You work really hard in your classes or job but can never shake the feeling that you aren’t good enough.
Your stress levels are so high you worry that if one more thing happens, you may not be able to handle it all.
You love to help others but end up feeling resentful that your help isn’t always appreciated. You worry that if you speak up about what you need, people will leave you.
You sometimes have episodes of difficulty breathing. You thought they would go away but they are happening more and more often.
You feel like a failure. Your self esteem is low. You work really hard at avoiding mistakes. You wonder who you may have disappointed today. Or who you might disappoint tomorrow. You have a shelf of self-help books that haven’t worked. You obsess over the Enneagram trying to figure yourself out. You keep trying all the same old things hoping this time it will work. You are worried that people will find out you aren’t the same person you portray online. You don’t understand why others don’t love it when you anticipate and meet their needs before they even ask. Why has all this work not helped everything work out??
I’ll let you in on a secret.
You are okay just the way you are.
You do not have to be perfect. You can take time to rest. You don’t have to feel guilty.
How? We will figure it out together.
Check out Jody’s contribution to the conversation on Bustle about the difference in how Millennials and Gen Z manage mental health.
Check out what Jody and other professionals suggest for coping with this common problem.
Based on her past experience with on-campus counseling services, Jody describes her observations of trends in the coping skills of intelligent young adults.