Are you addicted to becoming a ‘better’ version of yourself? Therapist explains the pressure behind endless improvement

You don’t always need to become a better version of yourself. Here’s when self-improvement turns into self-criticism.

We live in a world where self-improvement is slowly becoming a pressure rather than a choice, with the constant pursuit of becoming better leaving many people feeling like they are never enough. Therapist Amanda E White, LPC, LMHC, took to Instagram on August 24, 2026, to explain how the self-improvement mindset can make ‘never enough’ feel normal.

Amanda captioned, “Self-improvement is the most socially acceptable way to never be enough. There's always one more thing to fix. We read books, journal, and optimise our morning routine. Work on our attachment style. Heal our inner child. And when we finish one thing, there's always another version of ourselves we're supposed to become. It never feels done. I think that's worth paying attention to.”

She highlighted that some of us have used self-improvement as the most productive-looking way to never stop criticising ourselves. The work was always supposed to help us live. Not become the thing we do instead of living.

1. There is always one more thing to fix

We read books, journals, and fix our morning routine, work on our attachment style, and heal our inner child. And when we finish one thing, there's always another. There's always another version of ourselves we're supposed to become. It never feels done. I think that's worth noticing.

2. When healing becomes a more acceptable word for self-criticism

According to Amanda, at some point, "doing the work" stopped being about building a life we actually want and became the thing we do to earn the right to exist. We pick apart every pattern, every flaw, every reaction we had in a conversation three days ago. And we call that healing. But it doesn't feel like healing. It feels like a treadmill we're not allowed to step off of.

We pick apart every pattern, every flaw, every reaction we had in a conversation three days ago. (Unsplash)

3. Some of us have used self-improvement as the most productive-looking way to never stop criticizing ourselves

Amanda highlighted that the work was always supposed to help us live and not become the thing we do instead of living. Self-improvement should be a part of life, not the purpose of living.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.