being a perfectionist is ruining my life.
I've always been a perfectionist at heart.
I remember my parents always telling me to prioritize myself, to give it my all but never forget my health; specially when I was depressed in my last years of high school. I got really sick, physically and mentally and they always remind me that we don't want that happening again.
But my mind is way too powerful, and I might have bad memory in general, but I distinctly remember every time a cousin of mine has been a disappointment, and every time they have succeeded; I remember once my dad telling me to be the best in whatever I decide to do and people will respect me; my mom telling me she wants me to make a lot of money so I can go off and travel the world, I know too well the feeling of bad grades and good grades to not know the difference is just like good and bad.
I'm in college now, not the best student but I never really was (tho I was top 5 at least). I'm not an overachiever either, I'm just trying to pass my classes and learn what I need to in order to graduate, but for the first time in my life things are getting really hard. College is hard, is supposed to be, but for someone who always stuck to the easy choice to get the win, I think is even harder.
I have to be a perfect student, pay attention to lectures from 8 am to 5 pm, and study in 8 hours a day at least, and not get distracted with my phone (that now is a very important tool for studying too), and I have to keep track of my social life, eat healthy, exercise, sleep, and too many things to remember to do every single day. I'm starting to keep track of my teeth brushing by times per week, because I always forget something, it's always too much, I'm overwhelmed daily just doing the bare minimum required for a college student... I can't be the best.
I can't even aim for top 5 anymore, there's always someone better, someone that has it more together than I do, someone who just got it at the first try. My desire to be on top, to be the single one best is not met, and I'm starting to feel like I'm simply not fit for this.