3 Ways to Overcome Perfectionism

“People throw away what they could have, by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it.”

Edith Schaeffer said that.

Are you one of those people who set unrealistically high expectations for themselves?

Do you expect perfection from others?

Are you extremely hard on yourself?

Do you feel like no matter what you do, you will never be good enough?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be a perfectionist.

Being a perfectionist can be exhausting and frustrating, not only for you, but for others around you too. You get stressed and anxious by the constant self-critique, the feeling of not being good enough can make you depressed, and according to a recent study, perfectionism can also put you at a higher risk for suicide. If that doesn’t put the issue in perspective, research also suggests, that perfectionists are also more likely to develop chronic or unexplained pain syndromes like fibromyalgia.

So is there a way to overcome it?

Yes.

The alternative is to do the opposite—embrace your flaws. But we know that’s easier said than done. So if you’re really serious about overcoming perfectionism, here are three easy tips that can help.

Set more realistic expectations

Perfectionists tend to set unrealistically high expectations for themselves and others that end up creating an overall toxic environment and left. On the contrary, according to Psychology Today, lower expectations could result in a happier life.

Although it’s understandable that lowering your expectations can be hard, but it does lead to a greater sense of satisfaction in your life, relationships, and even self-image.

Stop seeing mistakes as failures

Everyone makes mistakes. But as a perfectionist, you probably can’t help but judge your mistakes a little too harshly. Mistakes are great learning opportunities and a helpful part of the growth process. When we make mistakes, we discover new ways of how not to do something and it’s important to treat them as positive feedback.

So instead of seeing mistakes as your failures, try adopting a growth mindset and remind yourself that in order to improve at something, you need to try—and sometimes even fail.

Don’t compare yourself to others

Here’s the deal with this: comparing yourself to other people, allows those other people, to drive your behavior. As a result of growing up in a competitive environment, we are conditioned to see comparing ourselves with others as a method of improvement. While this is true to some extent, the line between healthy and toxic comparison is easy to jump.

For a change, instead of trying to compare yourself with other people, try and learn from your own mistakes. Look within yourself and come up with areas that you think need improvement, and start working on them.

If things get too serious, please don’t hold off on professional help

Sometimes our busy routines, lives and frustrations exhaust us to the point that we have no energy left to battle our mind in order to make a positive change. If that’s your case, remember, in order to excel at life, you need to make sure that you give your energy to the right priorities. And in order to do so, sometimes, you might need professional help.

Rekha Shrivastava is a hypnotist and a certified rehabilitation counselor at Blossom Hypnosis. She has helped countless individuals overcome a range of issues, including depression, anxiety, ADHD, and perfectionism.

If you need help making a positive change in your life, contact us today to book a free consultation session in Pittsford, New York. We also offer Skype sessions to those not residing within New York.