materialist obsession

Of all the bizarre anxiety issues I have to have this one... I don't know how else to say this but I am OBSESSED with labels on clothing and feel they always have to be PERFECT. no mistichings or crooked sewing or anything. If there are any, I feel like I am wearing something tainted and unpure. This is becoming a problem, because I find myself buying more and more of the EXACT SAME article of clothing only to keep finding different imperfections in these clothes. The main thing to understand here is that there is NOTHING wrong with these clothes. They wear fine and look fine, it's just this obsession with perfection I have. Like for instance, I once had a shirt, but the logo on the front was crooked, so now I ordered another one, even online, just received it, thought it was perfect, then noticed the label was missewn and then had to rip it out a bit to make it straight. It looks fine but there are some tiny tiny threads sticking out now, and I feel like I just ruined the shirt. Even considering buying ANOTHER one, just for another shot at perfection. How can I END this cycle?? Why can't I just be happy with it??

That sounds so frustrating to deal with!

I really think that this issue would be good to bring up with a therapist or health care provider. Not sure how easy it would be to confront this on your own. You know that it's not rational and they look fine, but you are still compelled to examine and seek the perfect one.

Can you maybe think about why you feel that crookedness or loose threads connect with ideas about being tainted or unpure in your mind?

Clothing manufacturers have a spectrum of more-perfect to less-perfect specimens, and none of them are probably perfect, but most are acceptable. In your mind, there is either perfect or tainted. So, can you think of it as a spectrum instead of an on-off switch?

Or can you try just wearing the imperfect clothes for a brief period in the house and try to tolerate the anxious feelings it gives you? Distract yourself by watching a movie while wearing it and try to fight the urges to get a different item? Would that be too upsetting? Or are you able to wear it but it just irritates you a lot?

If it helps, I used to work at an outlet version of a department store, and some of the clothes were really funny looking on the hanger. People will buy pants that are two inches higher on one side or shirts with one skinny sleeve. No one really notices when it's on. Does it help to know that people won't notice the threads, or will it still bother you?

Hope you can figure it out!