A word that I’m very big on is Perfectionist. I realized I was a perfectionist when I liked anything done a certain way. Everybody viewed me as a perfectionist because I would get anxiety when something is not done a certain way. When something did not go my way, I would feel like a failure. It started happening in 5th grade until the end of high school. I always heard the phrase “just try your best” but I thought your best is not good enough. When it comes to school for example, I was obsessed with getting straight A’s or B’s but nothing below. I was always fixing group projects by myself to make sure everything was in order. I would also always stay up late doing homework when it wasn’t necessary. It was very stressful for me but I knew once I got my grade it was all worth it. My family and friends told me it was not worth it to stress yourself too much on the small things because there are bigger things to worry about. Another example, apart from school, was cleaning. It was a chore that had to be done my way. No one helped me when it came to cleaning or organizing. After high school, more responsibilities like a job, harder work and relationships were all very overwhelming. This is when my mindset started to change but I still performed my best. To become less stressed, I organized/scheduled my week, set reminders, and set up for the day after. I started to look at everything differently. When I make a mistake I think “What can I do differently next time?” I realized with a lot on my plate, I was proud that I managed/accomplished so much. Throughout my journey, I learned I was able to achieve less and overthink more than actually accomplishing more. There’s a difference between unhealthy and healthy perfectionists. It was very unhealthy to fear failure, get depressed when anything did not go my way. Now, I take constructive criticism so I can grow and become a better person.