Your Best is Enough

This is a public service announcement reminding you that your best is enough. I often have to remind myself of this truth, especially because we live in a society where unrealistic standards can make us feel like we're always failing. Since it's back to school time, there are lots of articles floating around about how to prep a healthy lunch for your kids. Years ago, in one those "lunchbox ideas for kids" articles, I saw a suggestion to make sushi that looks like panda bears. "Easy and fun" the article said. Really?! Most parents felt like they were doing well if they could throw together a lunch consisting of an Uncrustable, a yogurt pouch and an apple (a feeling I share!) Articles like this can have a real mental impact. Part of me starts thinking, "If other parents can do it, I should be able to do it, too. Maybe it just means I'm not trying hard enough if my kid doesn't have panda sushi in their lunchbox." This is why we always feel like we are failing - it's insidious and it's everywhere. 

I didn't think that example could be topped until saw an article called "What are Sprinkles Made Of? Nutrition and How to Make Your Own." Seriously. Most of us barely know what dinner we are going to get on the dinner table tonight and we're supposed to be worried about what's in our sprinkles? How many sprinkles is the average person eating anyways? It must be a lot more than I thought if someone is writing entire online articles about how to make your own. Imagine how much healthier we'd all be if we replaced that quart of commercial-grade sprinkles we all eat each day with homemade ones! 

Laughing at these examples helps to diffuse things, but we have to remember how dangerous these messages can be. Many of us already feel like we barely keep our heads above water, especially when it comes to eating well. We already feel extreme levels of self-doubt and anxiety about our food choices. Deep down, we know we are trying our best, but it is hard to feel like that is enough. And unrealistic societal expectations only compound the situation by making us feel like we are failing. All. The. Time. If you are trying, you are not failing. And if you are doing your best, it is enough. It has to be. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.