Feeling Behind? Do this Exercise

It’s almost the end of January, and while January felt slow it’s also gone fast? Maybe it’s just me. But one thing that often pops up around the end of the month is the feeling of being behind.  Maybe it feels like disappointment, shame, guilt, avoidance… but it usually comes from a common place. The perfectionist mindset.

A few reasons are: 

• we set unrealistically high expectations for ourselves (so of course we are behind)

• we are all or nothing about things, so as soon as it wasn’t possible to do it all, we dropped off to nothing.. (so are not where “all” would have had us)

• we’ve procrastinated, a lot

• we’ve gotten distracted by “shiny objects” (aka shiny object syndrome)

• we’ve been swept up in societies' “resolutions” and “goals”, think we should have the same yet feel inadequate 

Good news: we can get over that feeling. Give ourselves the pep talk we need and finish January in a better headspace. 

Here’s an exercise that will help:

Grab your journal, a pen + a huge dose of self-compassion, then ask yourself:

What did I accomplish this month? (make sure to list out as much as you can, small wins, boring things, everything)

When did I first notice “feeling behind” emerging? What was I doing (or not doing)? 

What story was I telling myself about this situation. Is it true? 

How could I reframe this story so that it was true, but also fair to me?

What have I learned from January 2025?

What can I do differently in February? How will I execute this? 

What will I tell myself when (inevitably) feeling behind comes up next time? 

And remember, you are not alone in this.  Most perfectionists feel behind, and many of us are hiding those fears and self-doubt. It’s so, so common with my clients (+ I’ve personally experienced this too). 

What to go deeper exploring these feelings? Book a free discovery call + find out if coaching is right for you.