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How to Overcome Perfectionism
I am a perfectionist. I don’t think I was as a child, but as I grew older, I became preoccupied with doing things “right.” It wasn’t just about doing my best. Rather, it was about making sure it was perfect, whatever “it” was, a school assignment, a work project, or a hobby. It had to look perfect, feel perfect, and be perfect.
The problem is there no such thing as perfection. It doesn’t exist. We all have flaws and everything around us has flaws. There is beauty and uniqueness in flaws. But, telling that to a perfectionist only gets them to roll their eyes.
When we see items arranged in exact geometric shapes, we are afraid to touch them- it’s like a museum. When we see things are organized in a casual manner, not messy, but casually placed, we feel relaxed- it’s cozy. It is in our nature to prefer comfort to coldness.
For perfectionists, it can be hard to accept this. It used to be like that for me, until I discovered that perfectionism was causing me more harm than good. I am going to share some strategies I learned to ease perfectionism.
Why Perfectionism is Harmful
Perfectionism can weigh us down with fear, make us feel constantly dissatisfied with what we do, have us obsess over the little things, and make us neglect ourselves, our health, and our self-interest…
