A perfectionist: somebody who strives for absolute perfection and sets very high standards for themself.

The term perfectionism can hold positive connotations in our society. It’s what we often turn to as a humble ‘weakness’ in a job interview to imply that we are too hard-working. The assumption that perfectionists make the best employees makes sense, given that there are a lot of adaptive qualities about perfectionism. People who strive for perfection are often highly motivated, and tend to possess a high level of persistence, tenacity and drive. Those who strive to be perceived as perfect by those around them tend to also have extreme levels of empathy.

This all sounds pretty good, right? Well, not always.

A lot of the time, perfectionism is unhelpful, as it can become self-critical and obsessive.

Perfectionists can often struggle with procrastination. This can look like an avoidance of tasks due to an intense fear of failure, or not living up to the (often unattainable) standards one has placed on themself.

If you are a perfectionist, you might notice a high level of stress and burnout, which can stem from the sustained self-induced pressure to perform at an excessively high level at all times, and strong feelings of guilt about not achieving. In constantly striving for perfection, you may miss out on other meaningful or fulfilling activities in other aspects of your life.

Recovering from perfectionism looks like working towards maintaining the adaptive qualities of perfectionism, but learning to leave behind the unhelpful aspects. This is a process that involves learning to adopt a more flexible approach with the standards we place on ourselves, and building up our skills in self-compassion.

If you would like to learn more about how to manage perfectionism, give our team a call to arrange an appointment on (03) 9882-8874.