I create peace within myself. I let go of perfectionism

“Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be;

embrace who you are.” 

~Brené Brown

Hello love,

Is it feeling like fall where you live? 

Here on the central coast of California, we tend to be the last to experience fall in the northern hemisphere - my dahlias are blooming their very last blooms and the sycamores and oaks have nearly dropped all their leaves. 

I love how fall reminds us that it is ok to let go. 

We need reminders that we don’t have to be fully productive and on 24/7, all twelve months out of every year, just as a flower can’t produce blooms all the year through. 

Fall not only symbolically reminds us to let go, but also gives us permission to let go. The days get darker, the time changes, and it’s colder outside. It’s the perfect time to cozy up, read a book, or go to bed early. 

I find that many of the people I work with have a hard time letting go. Especially of the expectations they hold for themselves. 

But when we can’t let go of perfectionism, we struggle with constantly feeling not good enough.

And this not good enough feeling can lead to many negative coping strategies, such as:

• Giving up prematurely.
• Over drinking or over eating to manage negative emotions (aka coping).
• Being hard on or unkind to others.
• Dropping important balls because we’re trying to keep too many in the air.

If this is you, know that you are not alone (seriously - I mostly wrote this month’s affirmations for myself!)! This month, we’ll be focusing on letting go in a variety of ways. 

Use this week’s affirmation and journal prompts to help you learn to let go.

Weekly Affirmation:

I create peace within myself. I let go of perfectionism.

Journal Prompts for the Week:

1. Are there any areas of your life where you feel pressure to conform to others’ expectations or opinions? How can you stay true to yourself and do what works for you?
2. If you realized you were enough, as you are, right now, how would your life be different? What would you do differently?

Hit reply and tell me what you’re having a hard time letting go of these days! I love to hear from you!

Need support learning to let go? Here’s how I can help:

Take my Drinking Personality Quiz to learn more about why you drink and what to do about it.

Join the Mindful Moderation Course to forever change your mindset about drinking and more. 

Work with a therapist or coach on my team to create a personalized plan for your own growth.

Here when you need me,

Dr. Hannah

P.S.: Check out the Mindful Moderation Instagram for an inspirational version of this week’s affirmation and quote.