If your brain treats every email, text, project, workout, meal, and life choice like it’s being graded, you’re not alone. That kind of pressure can look “high functioning” from the outside, but inside it’s exhausting. The tricky thing about perfectionism is that it often starts as a way to feel safe, loved, prepared, or in control. Then, slowly, it becomes a cage. You can’t rest unless everything is done. You can’t try unless you know you’ll be good. You can’t enjoy the win b

Intellectualizing is a defense mechanism utilized to attempt to circumvent overwhelming emotions. This often unconscious strategy involves analyzing, rationalizing, and dissecting the problem as a means to distance oneself from the discomfort of sitting with the emotions brought up by the problem.