Overcoming Perfectionism
Perfectionism can often be perceived as a positive trait, but it can also be a source of stress and anxiety.
Perfectionism is the belief that we must achieve a certain standard of performance. This can lead to excessive self-criticism and a fear of failure. This can prevent us from trying new things, taking risks and inhibiting our sense of adventure. It can cause quite a lot of stress.
Perfectionism can be rooted in a desire for control. This can become quite toxic and can lead to procrastination as well as a lack of motivation. Perfectionists often struggle to make decisions they can also be paralyzed by their fear of making mistakes, thereby, never taking any chances. Perfectionism can also lead to a feeling of never being good enough, which can cause us to be overly-critical of ourselves and others as well as develop low self-esteem.
The key to overcoming perfectionism is to learn to accept that mistakes are inevitable.
Here is a list of things we can do to overcome perfectionism:
Realize we are human - When we realize we are human and set realistic expectations for ourselves, we in turn realize that we are not a machine. Even machines can make mistakes as well. Thinking of it this way may help to reduce the pressure.
Identify negative thoughts and turn them around - Catching negative thoughts before they run wild in our minds is absolutely crucial. We need to be able to capture these thoughts because they can feed us things that simply aren’t true. We are good enough and our work is worthwhile. And if no body told you just know that you, my friend, are spectacular, one of a kind amazing and wonderful!
Focus on progress, not perfection - The quicker we learn there is so such thing as perfect, the better. Moving forward we will measure ourselves on progress. (That is not to say we cannot have an off day). However, instead of us focusing on being perfect (which is not possible) we will see how we did compare to where we were before. You have come so far realize that and celebrate it!
Celebrate yourself - Speaking of celebrations, we are to celebrate our accomplishments! Perfectionist tend to just be on go. Never stopping once to realized what they have accomplished, (I too am guilty of this). Moving forward, whenever we reach one of our goals we will celebrate. Let’s buy ourselves a flower, treat ourselves to a facial (within the budget of course) or a relaxing bubble bath. Whatever it may be, once we have accomplished something, let’s celebrate it!
Learn to be comfortable with uncertainty - When we try to be perfect, we can second guess ourselves a lot. That is simply because there is no such thing as perfect. So, we will feel uncertain with the outcome, because it’s not perfect. But, let’s try to complete it anyway. The more we go forth even with uncertainty, the more comfortable we will become with it.
Overcoming perfectionism does not mean we will not try our very best. It just means we will also understand that there is no such thing as perfect. So then, where is the line? I believe that visualizing our outcome is super important, that way we have something to aim for. Let’s have our vision, and get it done but let’s not second guess ourselves. Good enough is good enough. The perfectionist in me cringes as I write that last line, but it’s true! And do you know what? A done something is better than a perfect nothing. So let’s cling on to that : “Done is better than perfect,” and even with uncertainty, by God’s grace, we got this!
