Saying “I’m a perfectionist” may seems cool in a job interview. But the research for perfection can seriously damage our health and well-being.
Perfectionism is a combination of excessively high personal standards and overly critical self-assessments. And when these expectations are not met, we begin to have negative thoughts and emotions.
The main aspects of perfectionism
There are three main aspects of perfectionism.
The first concerns ourselves: we aspire to be perfect. This only leads us to live with unnecessary anxiety and worry and we end up not living well and avoiding improvement.
The second concerns others: we aspire that those around us be perfect. This can negatively impact our relationships because we will always be unhappy and dissatisfied, pushing others away.
The third concerns others and us: others expect us to be perfect. We come to believe that the only way to please others is to behave the way they want- And we cancel us.
All this can negatively impact us and our body. But there is a way to be less critical of ourselves and others.
How to take care of us
For example, we can start enjoying things a little more instead of analyzing them too much. We can learn to base trust on ourselves not only by looking at our performances. Feeling good about things we have more control over. Taking a break. Focus on what is positive. Doing things right, which is better than doing things perfectly. And don’t keep thinking about something we’ve already completed.
Well, nobody is really perfect and mistakes can simply happen.
