Perfectionism is a trait that is often found in people who aspire to be bigger than reality. Dreamers tend to magnify their thoughts and subsequently their efforts, but alas, it is not a sustainable habit for most. When you are in school, you have the time to make pinterest-worthy notes and make everything top tier: as an adult, you do not. Perfectionism is a double edged sword. On one hand, it can motivate you to perform your best in every situation possible. On the other hand, it can pull you down when you inevitably fail to make everything around you impeccable. And it isn’t even your fault in these cases: the nature of one’s life is such that it doesn’t allow you the freedom to be perfect.
Zarvana is an online coaching service that helps workers become more productive. Its founder Matt Plummer says: “A lot of perfectionistic tendencies are rooted in fear and insecurity. Many perfectionists worry that if they let go of their [meticulousness and conscientiousness], it will hurt their performance and standing.” This is indeed very true (and self explanatory). Hence, it becomes important to be able to at least turn these tendencies on and off at your will (if not off completely). However tedious this task may seem, it is actually quite manageable. You need to ingrain some habits in your lifestyle to keep your perfectionism on a leash.
- Understand that you have perfectionistic tendencies that are harming your growth and pulling you down. Being self aware is the first step to recovery.
- Try to see the best in yourself. When you focus on what you’ve managed to achieve instead of what you haven’t, you can rest a little easier with your workload.
- Setting reasonable goals is key. Perfectionists often set goals that are nearly impossible to achieve, and then end up beating themselves up if their self-set extremely high standards aren’t met. Make sure this isn’t the case with you.
- Learn to accept criticism. Perfectionistic tendencies can stem from a fear of being criticised. If you overcome this fear, or atleast toughen yourself enough to be able to take criticisms dauntlessly, you can go a long way in taming your perfectionism problem.
- Acknowledge the fact that you’re a human being and not something more. It is an ode to your humanity that you make mistakes, it’s only natural. So, give yourself some breathing room.
Being a perfectionist is something that tends to be appreciated a lot in young adults by grown-ups. It is seen as a sign of maturity without any proper attention given to the signs of anxiety it displays. Thus, it can become hard to shake off a trait so deeply rooted inside you. Yet, being human is to grow, and you can unlearn your perfectionistic tendencies. Don’t let your problem overwhelm you, because you have the power to fight back!