Ask me about a trip I took with my dad to Maui ten years ago and I can barely recall what we did. But ask me about my childhood toys and suddenly I remember every detail, every curve of a ball, color, texture and even the faint smell of a favorite toy.

There is one toy I remember in particular.

It was a half red, half blue sphere covered with different shaped holes and yellow plastic shapes (triangles, stars, circles, etc.) meant to fit through them. If you’re curious, this is what it looked like.

What I remember is being very young and feeling frustrated because no matter how hard I pushed I could never get all of those puzzle pieces into the holes. It was only when I got older that I realized every piece had its place. I was wasting my energy trying to force pieces where they didn’t belong.

And it was only when I became an adult that I realized the symbolism of it-that everything I learned about life could be taught with that toy.

If you’re trying to force yourself into a particular “shape,” whether that means perfectionism about your body, health, career, or your relationships, stop what you’re doing. Put down that piece you are holding onto. Have compassion for yourself and realize that the reason why that relationship or job doesn’t fit is that it wasn’t meant to. You only need to have patience, faith and keep trying. Eventually when you stop forcing things to be, you’ll eventually find the perfect fit, exactly where you belonged in the first place.

Why Not Drop the “Mental” from “Mental Illness”?

(Bipolar Beat) – The line between mind and body and physical and mental illness is becoming more and more blurred. In fact, Bipolar Beat’s Joy Kraynak brings up a good point-do we even need the label “mental illness” anymore? What do you think? Does what we call mental illness matter?

Lack of Sleep Getting You Down? Research Provides Tips for Better Sleep

(Adventures in Positive Psychology) – Got sleep? Many of us aren’t getting enough. And that’s putting our productivity and health at risk. If you’re one of the sleep-deprived researchers are always talking about, you’ll appreciate this post with practical tips on how to improve your sleep.

The Language of Dementia

(Real World Research) – It’s sad and unfortunate, but a new study finds a lot of requests go unheard from patients with dementia. What’s most startling is that the people who aren’t listening are often their caregivers. In this beautiful post Sophia Dembling offers a hopeful alternative to families and people with dementia.

Why Couples Clash Over Chores: Some Alternatives

(Healing Together for Couples) – Doing the laundry and washing the dishes may not be your favorite things to do in the world, but did you know it can increase depression? Not feeling like your partner is doing their fair share of the housework probably isn’t helping either. Read this to get ideas on how to better deal with this common clash over chores.

The Picker Sisters and Using Our Senses to Develop Creativity

(The Creative Mind) – All that playing we did as kids may have fueled our creativity. According to this post, creativity isn’t just about words on paper or a paintbrush on canvas, but awakening and engaging all of our senses.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 19 Aug 2011
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.