🟨 How do you know when it’s “good enough”?

The mechanics of a perfectionist ghost—and how I’m learning to live with it.

😮‍💨 Tired (and something’s creeping in)

There’s a lot to do these days.
And honestly? I think I’ve been doing okay.
Things don't always work out—and that's fine.

But still, I keep thinking,
I should be better, get this perfect.
Even when no one’s watching.

Take English, for example—it's full of uncertainty.
There’s no fixed “right.” And even if there is, it’s only certain.
And yet, I kept chasing the perfect expression, I guess.

That’s when I realize—I’m being haunted.

👻 Meet the perfectionist ghost

They’re friendly.
They hang around hardworking people and whisper things like:

“You can do more, right?”
“This isn’t quite enough, is it?”
“Are you sure? Is that all?”

They don’t believe in batting averages.
30% isn’t success—it’s 70% failure.

“You got 30%? Technically, that means 70% didn’t work.”

They’re like anti-Edison.
They don’t believe in trial and error. Only results.

“Not growth—just success.”

And the worst part? They hand you a balloon.
It gets bigger and bigger.
Until you’re either carried away by the pressure, or it bursts.

So I started thinking,
maybe I just need to let some air out.

😏 Letting the air out—just for fun

Turns out, you don’t need a big fix.
Just a little something.
A snack. A hum. A silly dance in the bathroom.

Something that feels “too small to count.”
That’s probably exactly what you need.

So I wrote a tiny script—
One that gently suggests a way to deflate,
depending on how tired you feel.

# A tiny script to suggest a way to gently release pressure.

def suggest_relief(tired_level):
    options = {
        "low": "Maybe just light a candle. Or play that one song.",
        "medium": "Take a ten-minute walk. Breathe something warm.",
        "high": "Close the tab. Step away. You’re allowed to disappear for now."
    }

    if tired_level <= 3:
        return options["low"]
    elif tired_level <= 6:
        return options["medium"]
    else:
        return options["high"]

# Example:
my_day = 6  # On a scale of 1 to 10
print("Today’s relief:", suggest_relief(my_day))

😌 Drift and sway, with balloon

Maybe we don’t need to fight the ghost.
Maybe we just need to spot it sooner—
before it floats us into the clouds or explodes in our face.

Perfection, in most cases, doesn’t even exist.
We’re just taught to chase someone else’s version of it.
And sure, maybe we can’t escape society.

Still, we can get better at poking tiny holes in the balloon.
Quietly. Gently. One little breath at a time.

🫣 Bonus: the full list of balloon-deflation tactics

{
  "low": {
    "signs": [
      "Just a little slow today",
      "Can't quite focus",
      "Eyes keep drifting"
    ],
    "relief": [
      "Play a soft song",
      "Light a candle",
      "Write one line, then stop",
      "Wink at yourself in the mirror",
      "Stretch like a cat and sigh dramatically"
    ]
  },
  "medium": {
    "signs": [
      "You’re rewriting everything",
      "You forgot what you were trying to say",
      "The cursor blinks louder than your thoughts"
    ],
    "relief": [
      "Take a short walk",
      "Drink something warm",
      "Message a friend: 'I’m stuck'",
      "Talk to a houseplant about your draft",
      "Skip to the kitchen like it’s a musical number"
    ]
  },
  "high": {
    "signs": [
      "You feel like crying",
      "Your heart’s a little fast",
      "You start blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault"
    ],
    "relief": [
      "Close the screen",
      "Lie down",
      "Let the day go. It doesn’t need to be fixed.",
      "Sing a sad song to your pet (or your pillow)",
      "Declare the day officially over in a loud voice"
    ]
  }
}