Many of us strive to go above and beyond in our work lives, whether for our own sense of satisfaction or a sense of duty to our peers. While putting in good work is admirable, the desire for complete control and perfectionism can have the opposite effect. Pure perfectionism can lead to analysis paralysis, inefficient use of time, burnout, and missed opportunities on top of negative mental health factors like depression, anxiety, and stress.
If you find your desire for excellence going too far into perfectionism to the point it’s negatively affecting your work and state of mind, it’s time to learn how to combat it. Below are some helpful strategies to start the journey toward a healthier mindset.
“Perfectionism can be a double-edged sword, often hindering one’s ability to achieve their ultimate goals.” –Jason Hreha, Persona Talent
Recognize the downfalls of your perfectionism
To fight the battle against perfectionism, you must first realize you’re a victim. You may balk against the idea, simply thinking you’re trying to do the best work you can and that that’s a noble goal. But perfectionism can actually make your work much worse.
It isn’t just the negative mental health effects like burnout, stress, depression, and anxiety, those, of course, are all serious symptoms. Perfectionism can lead to massively wasted time, procrastination, inefficient use of resources, or missed deadlines. The insecurities driving you to work harder are actually making your productive output much worse while destroying your mental health according to Greater Atlantic City Chamber.
“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.” -Confucius
Keep your goals realistic
One of the first tangible steps you can take is to reevaluate your expectations about your work. You might have overly lofty goals or be afraid of disappointing someone, which alters your cognition and creates massively unrealistic expectations for yourself. Recognizing your expectations are too high is the first step toward creating more realistic ones.
Learning how to break your big goals into realistic tasks can be a start, giving you control over tangible efforts leading toward the greater whole. Not only will this make you more productive in the long run, but Psychology Today’s Roxy Zarrabl says that completing these more manageable goals allows you to build self-trust and self-confidence. Developing these traits will make it easier to fight perfectionism in the future.
Practice self-compassion
We don’t always treat ourselves well, and this is especially true for perfectionists. Those high standards cause us to be especially harsh on ourselves when we don’t meet our often unrealistic expectations. Learning how to embrace imperfection and cultivate self-forgiveness and self-compassion isn’t easy, but striving toward this mindset will help in the long term.
Persona Talent’s Jason Hreha suggests learning to speak to yourself as you would a friend or loved one. Would you be as harsh to a friend for not meeting their lofty goals as you are on yourself? Likely not. Speaking to yourself with kindness and empathy will help reframe your mindset. Don’t forget that failure is part of growth. Learn how to learn from your setbacks and forgive yourself rather than focus on individual failures.
“The next step is to write down some rebuttals to your inner dialogue. As you write, try to avoid matching your previous tone and word choices.” –Jordana Confino on ways to confront your inner critic
Avoid comparisons
Comparison is the thief of joy, and comparing yourself to others is where feelings of insecurity that lead to perfectionism can come from. You might not think you’re as far ahead as your peers and strain yourself to compete or think you need to go beyond your peers. Those feelings aren’t healthy.
One way to stop comparing yourself to others is to take breaks from social media according to Roxy Zarrabl. Having the accomplishments of others actively in your face can be the cause of your resentment and insecurities, so taking a break altogether can help you refocus. It’s also important to remember that what you see on social media is what the poster wants you to see. They probably aren’t posting their own struggles or securities. Seeing their success in a vacuum can lead to creating unrealistic expectations.
Seek support from outside
Insecurity can be derived from a fear of disappointing others. This leads to overcompensating with perfectionism to keep others happy. If you have trouble getting past perfectionism on your own, look to your support system to find feelings of encouragement.
“Reach out to friends and family to ask them to help you reset those expectations, and to help you see that if you aren’t perfect, you’ll still be loved and cared for.” –Jessica A. Kent, Harvard.edu
Reassurance from those you care about should make it clear that they don’t expect you to be perfect or work yourself to death. If you don’t believe you have value on your own, hearing it from others might make it more believable. And hearing from others you respect how they might have overcome their own insecurities might make your own more manageable. If this still isn’t enough, it might be worth seeking out professional help.
Wrap up
Being dedicated to your work isn’t a bad thing, but don’t let impossible standards or a fear of failure control your life. It can be hard to recognize that perfectionism has taken over, and it can take time to fight back. Once you realize the problem, taking time to reassess your goals and expectations, learning how to view your accomplishments, and getting additional help can start the process toward a healthier mindset.
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