Breaking the Cycle of Perfectionism

In this episode of the podcast, Lauren is back for a solo conversation and deep dive into trauma, eating disorders, and perfectionism. She shares how her own history of experiencing various types of trauma led her into a vicious cycle of trying to prove her "good-enough-ness," as well as how she plans to permanently break out of her self-destructive behaviors and retire her old perfectionistic ways.

We also talk about:

Lauren's experiences with sexual assault and abuse
One in four women is sexually assaulted, and 99% of women blame themselves
Shame, blame, and judgment as the product of trauma and fuel for perfectionism
Perfectionism as a self-destructive and addictive belief system
Perfectionistic striving versus perfectionistic concerns
The psychological risk factors, behaviors, and health outcomes associated with pathological perfectionism
Eating disorders as mitigating factors and maintaining factors for perfectionism and PTSD
Increased PTSD symptomatology in individuals with higher levels of perfectionism
The function of control, or a perceived lack of control, in the development and progression of eating disorders, perfectionism, and PTSD
Lauren's commitment to 30 days of abstinence from her exercise addiction and perfectionism