Life Lesson I've Learned from Glee

15. You are Your Own Worst Enemy
        My Life as a Semi-Perfectionist

Just like Rachel Berry, I always knew I was a little crazy. OCD (and I use this term very loosely) has taken a grip on my life and won't let go. Is it extreme? No. Is it enough to make me feel like I am losing my mind on a day to day basis? Yes. It is especially bad when it comes to school work. I will make mental check lists throughout the day, then transfer them to paper, then go through and double-check them.

But I'm not talking about just any kind of list. I make lists that consist of things like: "Pay credit card bill in two weeks", and "check bank account later". Little do I realize that by the time I write these things down, I could have just logged onto the computer and completed them. I lay in bed at night and run through my lists, verifying that everything got done. If I print papers out to hand in for an assignment and accidentally staple then the wrong way, I have to reprint it and do it again. Or I have to pick the staple out if it is in backwards.

The worst part about this problem is that I check my alarm clock several times throughout the night to make sure it's set. I am terrified of being late for anything, so I stare at the clock, making sure the Alarm button is on. This makes me feel crazy, and watching the neurotic Rachel Berry eases my pain.

The day I realized I need to chill out was when my boss at work happened across my parents while I was working (I work at the mall. My parents came in the store).
"Natalie sure is a good worker," my boss said.
"Well that's good," my dad said.
"The only thing is, she is harder on herself than anyone else is," my boss said. "Sometimes she will get frustrated if little things get off track. You know, if things aren't running smoothly."
This forced me to realize that being uptight is not a good way to be.