Tips for managing perfectionism
If you haven’t read the previous blog post on perfectionism click here to understand what perfectionism is.
Stop procrastinating: First things first, stop procrastinating! Perfectionists often have the tendency to procrastinate due to being fearful of not performing perfectly. Break your goals into smaller more achievable ones, don’t bite off more than you can chew! There are a few more tips on how to stop procrastinating here.
Test the boundaries: Try pressing send before proof reading the email 10 times, rock up to a meeting a couple of minutes late, leave the house messy for a day or two, don’t plan out all your meals for the week. Wait and see what happens, does the world end? Will you survive? Investigate the truth of your perfectionistic thoughts. Do a few experiments to see that there are no huge consequences to not being “perfect”. Even if the tests don’t go well, see if it went as badly as you first thought. Did you use less energy? Feel less stressed? Most likely you will come to understand that everything will be okay if you don’t spend the extra time re-reading and making sure everything is perfect.
Stress management: Often with being a perfectionist comes with a lot of stress and anxiety symptoms. There have been a few blog posts on stress management techniques. Check out the blog posts on grounding strategies, mindfulness, and burnout. Another great stress relieving activity is physical exercise. Find something physically active that you enjoy doing, try incorporating it into your daily routine.
Challenge your behaviour / thoughts: Start by listing things you think MUST be perfect. Then list why they don’t need to be perfect – if you’re really struggling ask yourself what you would say to a friend if they held similar beliefs. Challenging your own beliefs can be hard, seeing a Psychologist can help start change the way you think, and help you to challenge your own negative thoughts and beliefs you may hold of yourself. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a method Psychologists can use to help challenge and ultimately change your thoughts and behaviours.
If you’re worried about perfectionistic traits and are wanting further support feel free to contact us on 8838-8687 or book an appointment online and come in to see one of our friendly Psychologists.