Help To Overcome Perfectionism – Many people take pride in a job well done and want to ensure that anything they do is done well. While this trait in itself can be very beneficial, when these tendencies turn into perfectionism and rigidity, your mental health can quickly begin to suffer. If you find that your work is motivated by a fear of mistake or failure, it may be a sign to seek counselling for perfectionist tendencies, as such traits can quickly lead to anxiety, depression, isolation, and reduced self-esteem.
Overcoming Perfectionism
When you are struggling with a deep, inner compulsion to make everything that you do perfect and error free it can be incredibly difficult to change these patterns of thinking that have been so heavily ingrained in you. Because of this, the journey to overcome perfectionism is one that takes time, patience, and guidance. It can be beneficial to reach out to an experienced counsellor such as one at Horizon Plymouth for help as you move to a more peaceful mental state. A counsellor can help you take a more objective look at your current mental health struggles in order to more effectively apply strategies to overcome harmful perfectionistic tendencies. Some of the ways that our counsellors can help clients include:
- Practicing self-awareness: The first step towards changing a habit is being aware of the small actions and thoughts that cumulate into larger behaviours. Practicing self-awareness allows you to begin to recognise these actions and thoughts, identifying them for analysis and later modification.
- Set small goals: Behaviours do not change overnight; they take long periods of work—sometimes it can even take years to get to a place of peace with your thoughts and mindset. However, setting small, realistic goals for yourself can allow you to see progress and celebrate your successes as you gather momentum to motivate your continued changes.
- Take a look at your environment: Sometimes part of the pressure for everything to be perfect can come from outside. Look at people or elements of your environment that might be negatively influencing you, from social media to work requirements. Setting boundaries, unfollowing problematic accounts, and surrounding yourself with individuals ready to give you patience and accept imperfection can be a great way to support your journey.
The importance of self-compassion
Actively practicing self-compassion is more than just a method to overcome perfectionism. It has been shown through research to have incredibly beneficial effects, including reduced rates of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. It is an integral part of the journey to overcome perfectionism and focuses on the principles of recognising the struggles that you are going through and showing yourself grace and compassion as you work. Often when dealing with perfectionism, a core symptom is a continual process of beating yourself up or berating yourself for mistakes. This is why learning to practice self-compassion is such an integral component of your journey towards a healthier mental state. Many techniques exist to help increase self-compassion while dealing with side effects of intense perfectionism, including mindfulness, patience, and perspective exercises. Although self-compassion can be a difficult practice to begin, especially at first, it is a learnable skill and the counsellors at Horizon Plymouth are ready to help guide you in the journey to improved mental health.
If you find yourself battling perfectionist tendencies that are getting in the way of your mental wellbeing, it may be helpful to reach out to an experienced counsellor for guidance. The counsellors at Horizon Plymouth are available to offer impartial advise designed to help you show more compassion towards yourself and the work that you do. Don’t wait—reach out to Horizon Plymouth to schedule your initial consultation today!