PERFECTIONISM

Are you obsessed with perfection?

Do you feel like you let yourself down a lot? Do you feel like you expect too much from those around you? Many are obsessed with making their lives absolutely perfect despite how complicated that is in a disordered world we live in.

Disappointment is the word which resonates loudly for many who see error as failure. The tendencies we have and to what degree differ in many.

Do you have the question “Is perfectionism a mental disorder?” The answer is no, this in itself may settle you uncertainty but it can be a risk factor to other conditions.

Perfectionism and anxiety are linked...

If you’re a perfectionist, your dedication to getting things right can often be the source of stress and anxiety. This we need to be aware of like triggers, if we let them develop further we can sit too long and procrastinate.

Perfectionism at its core is a fear of failure which can cause anxiety to build fearing of improvement.

Perfectionists worry excessively about mistakes, set themselves high personal standards, have doubts the quality of their own work, feel anxious about parental criticism, worry about high parental expectations and a tend to like things to be organised and orderly.

This weeks take away...

Focus on the positives

Try to focus on these whenever you find yourself becoming anxious.

Find some perspective

Ask yourself what the worst possible outcome would be if your work isn’t perfect.

Change your outlook

When the worry about failure creeps in, focus on the aspects of the task which you enjoy.

Be kind to yourself

Perfectionists are often highly self-critical and find it difficult to block negative thoughts. A good way to tackle this problem is to imagine that you’re talking to a friend. Would you ever speak to a friend in the same way that you speak to yourself?

If the answer is no, then you can try to dismiss the thoughts of being unkind or unrealistic to yourself.

Lower your standards

Learning to accept when things are ‘good enough’ is often the biggest hurdle for perfectionists to jump. Try to reflect on what is important and be prepared to lower the standards. Are you prepared to spend a little less time polishing your work?

Set yourself time limits at work

Overcome the urge to spend too long on any task by setting yourself a time limit at work. Break your time into chunks and split down big projects into smaller tasks.

This will stop you from lingering on the fine details and help you to move on.