The Double-Standard of Perfectionism

Those of us that struggle with perfectionism, people-pleasing, and overachieving to the point of burnout are not cruel, in fact we are often exceptionally kind to others, we just hold double-standards. We understand Henry David Thoreau’s logic when he says "The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly." Yet we only really recognize how others deserve to be treated with gentleness. We often have internalized that we need to be prodded, shamed, and forced into productivity in order to be worthy of delicate comforts. We fail to see our own inherent worthiness, and even worse, we often fail to see how our own harshness makes our spirits wilt.

"The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly."

~ Henry David Thoreau