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'I have a nasty case of 'bestitis' - and I really think I need to chill.'

I have bestitis.
What is bestitis? Well, it’s when you get sick of reading stories telling you of all the ways you can be the best you. You know – the best you can be.
Everywhere I look I’m being told to be in the moment, just breathe, be mindful and accept yourself, flaws and all. Inspirational quotes fill all my social media sites.

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I’m not sure whether to give up sugar or eat raw food? Should I have a green smoothie for breakfast or is it best to juice all my meals and drink them out of a mason jar with a paper thin, pastel, striped straw?

Live with less – here’s 10 tips how. Be more organised, I did and now my whole life is a breeze. Here’s five easy recipes to make lunch box packing fun for the whole family.

I’m so fucking busy trying to keep up with all my 30 day challenges I forgot to breathe. And I need as much air as I can get to complete my daily fitness test. I have steps to do, people.

Bianca

Don’t forget that I’ve got my daily schedule to keep up – wash floors on Monday, sheets on Friday. Read to the kid’s class on Thursday. Batch cook all the meals for the next seven years on Sunday. Read feminist literature on Wednesday evenings. Work. It’s important to be well rounded, I’ve got to be a role model.

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And don’t forget to be grateful when you’re decluttering, writing to do lists, running, buying organic groceries, uploading images of paleo food and making sure you have time for creative and intellectual pursuits.

C'mon. I know you can do it. Image: Flickr.
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You can do it. You can be best the person you can be in just seven easy steps. I did it and now I feel great. Ok, I feel a little uptight and my life is totally planned out to the second, but I FEEL GREAT. DID YOU HEAR ME? I FEEL REALLY REALLY CALM AND HEALTHY AND ENGAGED IN LIFE. I CAN SHOW YOU HOW.

You might need to stop sleeping, but it can be done.

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THERE’S SO MUCH PRESSURE. I need a drink, oh shit, I’m detoxing.

Make it stop, please make it stop. What’s happened to just being yourself? Is it really that vital to be the best you. How about just being you?

Bianca and her family - being grateful and detoxing and DOING EVERYTHING OKAY?

How do you keep up with all the requirements? If we are all the best we can be then won’t it mean we’ll become pretty much the same person? We can all aim to be super neat, super organised, super clean, super fit, super savers, super crafty, super cooks, super mindful, super stylish, super ambitious, super human beings. That’ll be super. Super boring.

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I like that people have flaws. Some of the best writing and artistic pursuits stem from people’s struggles and differences. If everyone was the best they could be, then the world could quite possibly become quite bland.

I worry for people desperately trying to seek truth in this world all scrambling to better themselves – the list of musts is getting longer each day. The demands are pretty stringent. The box to fit into gets smaller and smaller.

For those people like me who struggle to just get up in the morning and be a good person, it’s ok. You are doing a fantastic job. Sure, aim for improvements to make your world a better one, but do not fall into the trap of constantly striving to be the best you you can be. You already are.

Trying to be someone else will only exhaust you.

This article was originally published on Bigwords, and was republished here with full permission.

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