You’ve accomplished a lot for someone your age, you goal getter.

Achievement is natural and necessary. Most of the time, it feels great.
When it doesn’t come easy, however, your brain turns on you.

“People less intelligent than me have done this, what’s wrong with me?”
“Why is this so hard for me when it seems so fun and easy for everyone else?”
“Why do I just want to nap when I need to get to work?”
“Everyone will think I’m a failure. Hell, I think I’m a failure.”

Stress and overwhelm aren’t moral shortcomings. Your fears aren’t personality defects. Perfectionism and procrastination aren’t character flaws.

There’s nothing wrong with you, friend.

It’s cool that you’re smart. It’s okay to take pride in validation from others. It’s fine to not want to settle for “good enough.”

And it’s perfectly normal to struggle with feelings of unworthiness, overwhelm, self-doubt, and fear of failure.

The world has made you believe you must be a “good girl.”
(Get As, go to a good college, build an impressive career, get married, buy a nice house and fill it with nice things, have 2.5 kids, put others first, don’t be selfish, don’t be too loud or too much…the list goes on and on.)

Anything else is failure.

The truth is, you’re amazing as you are. And it’s time that you realize it.

Stop beating yourself up, and start allowing yourself to feel joy now (instead of believing that reaching one more goal will magically make everything better).