Even just hearing that statement makes me cringe. Although, I know it is something I truly need to hear. Perfectionism has been an issue I have struggled with my whole life. Every setback, every perceived failure was a devastating blow to my system. Whether these setbacks or “failures” happened at school, work, or motherhood, I saw them as personal flaws that I should have been able to avoid. OCD only exacerbated these perceived failures. I could obsess over them for weeks, and sometimes even months.

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to try to choose progress over perfection. I want to be able to be human without freaking out every time I make a mistake. Oftentimes, I am harder on myself than anyone else. Living under that kind of pressure is exhausting. Expecting an unattainable standard of perfection for myself is impossible and only setting myself up for disappointment. No one should have to live their life that way. Being able to be a little kinder to myself when I mess up, I think will go a long way with my level of happiness.

I never would have even known this was an issue until I was diagnosed with postpartum OCD. I learned very quickly in therapy that I had an extremely unhealthy relationship with myself and perfectionism. In therapy, slowly I started working on trying to be kinder to myself. Unfortunately, I have to undo 30 years of me behaving this way. It has not been an easy change to make. I definitely still struggle with perfectionism, especially when it has to do with something that is important to me like my daughters or work.

Perfectionism is a quality that truly can try to ruin’s someone life. I was on that path before getting diagnosed with postpartum OCD. No human deserves to feel extreme guilt over mistakes that are completely normal to make. I am trying to realize that no matter how hard I prepare, I cannot predict or control my future, not even by being “perfect.” I will never be perfect. All I can do is my best to be kind to myself, a good mom, and work hard every day. Of course, I will continue to make mistakes. I want to learn and grow from my mistakes not hide and let them ruin my life. 2026 for me is about choosing progress over perfection.