7 Ways to Break the Type a Personality Obsession ...

The best thing someone with a type A personality obsession can do is find some type B people to get close to. They tend to have a relaxing effect on you. Their laid back, calm approach to life can rub off on you. I married a type B person, as many type A people often do, and it has actually been very beneficial. He helps to balance me out.

You know, I laugh and say that I have to schedule downtime but it is true. If I do not have it scheduled, I know that it is not going to happen. So, I have set my days up to where there are certain periods built in for rest and fun things. I also have certain whole days where I try to just relax and enjoy doing things I like to do. Those are usually Sundays.

I am such a list maker. Most type A people are. I often have a list ready of things I hope to accomplish each day. Even if my day veers off course, I feel better knowing that I have a list to try to follow. Every now and then, it is good to have a day when you don’t have a list and you just try to go with the flow.

The world will not stop if things are not completed by the time you set. Can you tell I have had to work on learning this lesson? Realizing that you can work on things tomorrow is a good thing. It helps you learn to pace yourself. It helps you to prioritize instead of feeling like everything must be completed today.

Resting does not come easy to me. In the last year I have worked on learning how wonderful it can be to rest. Now that I know how enjoyable it can be, I am starting to look forward to those times of the day. It seems to help us type A people to have a specific stopping point. That way I can work right up to that time, and then I don’t feel guilty for reading a magazine or watching a tv show.

This is another great tip for type A people to work on. Type As typically are not satisfied with anything less than perfection. And let’s be honest, most of the time perfection is simply unattainable. Something will go awry in some way. Embracing the saying that your best is good enough is very healthy.

Along with learning that your best is good enough and practicing applying that to your life, accept imperfection. Learn to appreciate it makes things unique. That does not mean that you lower your standards. It just means that you accept little things go off at times. You don’t let it ruin your day. You just continue on giving it your best effort.

These 7 tips can make your life much happier and less stressful if you put them to use. Are you a type A person? How have you learned to make peace with that personality?