What Are You Letting Go?
What Are You Letting Go?
Or aspiring to let go. You know. Some day. Maybe.
This week’s conversations about control and reclaiming fitness—as a way to be in your body, but not control your body—have given me so much to think about (my lucky therapist!!!). And it’s definitely a hammer-finds-nails moment, but I also am seeing so many other moments in my life where letting go, even just a little bit, would benefit me.
Some of this is easy and practical: I solo parented all week while Dan was at a conference, so we skipped family meal planning and I let the kids eat the same low stakes meal (Eggo pancakes and smoothies) for most breakfasts and dinners. (And then last night, ordered myself sushi, truly my best parenting hack.)
Some of this is more ambitious: How do I take my children’s bad moods less personally and let their feelings just…stand? I guess? Instead of rushing in to correct and manage? How do I decide which media requests to accept, knowing that every 20-30 minute phone call popcorns into my day and disrupts my ability to do more focused work and that a lot of them result in more Internet blowback but also, we need mainstream media to get anti-fat bias into mainstream conversations? (Yes, I have a publicist to help vet those and I guess this one is more about retaining control of my time than letting it go—but there’s also the letting go of the need to say yes to everyone/everything?)
Now it’s your turn: What’s one thing —of any shape, scale, etc— that triggers your perfectionism that you’d like to let go? Or if you’ve already released it, tell us how!
I should also say: Part of why I’m thinking about perfectionism so much is because the brilliant and I have a very cool podcast collab (as the kids say!) in the works right now. I’m going to leave you wondering until we’re ready to do the official reveal—but we are thinking a lot about detaching from perfectionism and would love, love, love your thoughts. (Some of which may appear in said secret project in some form, but only with your express permission.)
And, remember to keep things friendly and follow my Thread Ground Rules.
Friday Links
writes my favorite book-related Substack and this week's roundup of kids books about bodies is such a gem! Bonus: She's hosting a giveaway and you can win a copy of FAT TALK! Deadline is Sunday night so head right over to enter.
I really appreciate Emily Oster’s take on the AAP guidelines. This is absolutely the moment for straight-sized allies in the public health discourse to be stepping up. (Not to mention the sheer hilarity of being cited in the same sentence as Vinay Prasad!)
