Are you curious about the cycle of perfectionism?

Want to learn about ways to deal with perfectionism?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this article is for you!

What is Perfectionism?

We all can grow and evolve as time goes on. Self-development is an important part of maturing and evolving in life. However, aspiring to become the best version of yourself is not the same as perfectionism. Striving to be better is great, but having unrealistically high standards can negatively impact your life.

Do you relate to the defition of perfectionism? If so, keep reading!

Signs of Perfectionism

One prominent sign of perfectionism is procrastination. Perfectionism causes people to procrastinate their goals because they become too conscious of their abilities and fearful of their inadequacies. These people start to use phrases like, “one day I’ll do this,” or “after I achieve ___, I will start…” They believe that they can only attempt their goals once they improve or get as close to perfection as they can. As a result, this makes them push their dreams back more and more. 

Their perfectionist mindset makes many perfectionists lose opportunities and miss out on various experiences. 

The traits of a perfectionist are not as striking as you may assume; as discussed before, having a perfectionist mindset has become very common in our society, so you may not even be aware that it is present in your lives. 

Here are some subtle signs that you may be a perfectionist:

• As mentioned in the prior section, procrastination is a huge part of your life. As a perfectionist, you cannot complete a task unless you are confident you can do it flawlessly
• You consider the final product the most crucial aspect of any project. As a result, you may pay less attention to the process of understanding or completing the task to your highest capacity.
• Completing a task is not an option until it meets your strict standards
• You tend to take an unusually long time to perform a task that would typically take others no more than a few minutes

Perfectionism’s Negative Effects

If a perfectionist fails, the self-criticism and diminished self-worth that follows leads to increased anxiety, alienation, sadness, and more harmful impulses and inclinations. They’ll go to any length to avoid receiving further criticism – this causes them to focus on and worry about past failures. Constantly reviewing mistakes and thinking of what they can do better becomes part of their daily routine.

The constant cycle of perfectionism prevents you from discovering whether your idealistic ideas are correct. A person who has trouble delegating responsibilities to coworkers, for example, may believe that doing so is essential to maintain their high standards in the workplace. The perfectionist will not assess whether their ideals are correct if they refuse to delegate duties.

Burnout is one of the most challenging stages of the perfectionism cycle. We become so engulfed in the traps of a perfectionist, and it makes us think that breaking the pattern is impossible. However, burnout will infiltrate our lives if we do not try to break this cycle. By not slowing down or changing our ways, we might have no choice but to instantly go from 60 mph to zero. Becoming entirely burnt out will leave you with nothing else to deal with. All the things that were too vital to let go of in our pursuit for perfection will end up falling apart regardless.

Taking Steps to Heal from Perfectionism

Although we may not always be able to halt this cycle, we can attempt to slow it down. We can assist ourselves in avoiding some mental chaos by understanding the consequences of our actions. 

Be Kind to Your Mind

Perfectionism causes people to criticize themselves constantly. This mindset only focuses on the person’s flaws while forgetting about their accomplishments or positive attributes entirely. 

To fight against your perfectionist mindset, make it a habit to notice the good that you do. Ways you can accomplish this:

• Put together a list of each task you complete in a day 
  • Writing down your accomplishments allows you to see and acknowledge your achievements visibly 
  • This list can also help you catch any procrastination tendencies you are participating in. If you’re squandering a lot of time, you’ll instantly see it through the lack of tasks listed in front of you
• Repeat positive affirmations and phrases to yourself
• Take time to detach from work and relax
  • Perfectionists find it hard to take breaks and let go of their professional obligations. Creating a healthy work-life balance and allowing yourself to do things you enjoy will help you de-stress

Embrace What Makes You Human

Remind yourself that being perfect is unattainable! We all make mistakes and, although it can be hard to accept, this is a normal part of life. Without making mistakes, we would lack opportunities to grow, learn, and evolve. If you can accept the idea that you will mess up in life, this can lower your expectation to be perfect all the time. Worry more about working hard and making yourself proud rather than never messing up.

Challenge Procrastination

As mentioned in our past article, many people who struggle with perfectionism often procrastinate. The perfectionism mindset causes people to hold incredibly high standards for themselves and the work they do. Trying to achieve these standards is terribly challenging and can negatively impact someone’s view of their capabilities. In an attempt to escape these pressures and emotions, people will procrastinate accomplishing goals that make them stressed or anxious.

Procrastination can feel difficult to escape. Here is one way to challenge your procrastination: make a conscious choice to lower the bar of expectations before starting your work. Allow yourself to be free of the notion that you must give everything you have to whatever you do.

Tackle Each Goal Step By Step

Another way to fight procrastination and perfectionism is by tackling your goals in smaller, more attainable steps. Try breaking jobs down into smaller chunks – this makes tasks more manageable and makes you feel more accomplished as you check them off your list. Remember that done is better than perfect!

Consider Therapy

It is entirely normal to get overwhelmed when trying to decrease your perfectionism. If this is the case, trying out therapy may be a good option for you. Therapy can assist you in changing your perfectionism mindset increase your self-compassion when you make mistakes, and accept yourself for who you are. 

A therapist can also help you become the best possible version of yourself. So, if you need proper guidance in overcoming your perfectionism, do not hesitate to book yourself an appointment and learn lifelong strategies to overcome your perfectionism once and for all!