Perfection, we love perfect things and perfection in everything we do. We do not like mistakes, we want everything to always be perfect, but what if being too perfect can be detrimental? Perfectionism, on one side it’s striving for improvement, professionalism is also a part of being perfect in whatever you do. However, perfectionism doesn’t stop at that. Perfectionism, literally trying and striving to make absolutely everything perfect and when I say that, I do not just mean articles, homework, food,etc. I mean, not liking even the slightest mistake. Not allowing one or the other to make a mistake.

People with perfectionism hold themselves to impossibly high standards. They think what they do is never good or not the best they could have done, no matter if it is the best one could ever get. For examples, the topper in class who scores the highest in class with 99 marks and yet unhappy because they didn’t score full. Some people mistakenly believe that perfectionism is a healthy motivator and there is nothing wrong in trying to be perfect in every aspect of life. But, oh are they wrong?

While, perfectionism is not clearly a psychological disorder and is not a mental illness in itself, but perfectionism can be and is linked to anxiety and mental health issues, like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and we all know how bad that alone can be.

The reason as to why perfectionism can happen vary and are different, but the most common of them are the fear of judgement or disapproval from others. This is mostly faced by children and teens who have experienced it from childhood through their parents, who unsurprisingly enough, have unrealistically high expectations from the children. These tendencies mostly cause OCD.

But, we have to be true that there is an upside, just a little, to being a perfectionist. The relentless pursuit and effort to flawlessness can make esteemed changes in work, grades and life. However, it can also cause low self-worth, depressive and anxiety disorders, high stress in the face of failure and even suicidality. That is really sad because, people with perfectionism never try to open up about their feelings and keep it suppressed in their heart. They scare the judgement they might face, some even do not acknowledge the fact that they are suppressing their true feelings and nature. They think this was the way they were and continue to do, neglecting mental health.

There are three types of perfectionists, they are

1. Socially pressured perfectionists: These group of people are extremely self-critical, they have immense pressure on them about being the best and they always worry about the fact that if they do not try to be perfect, they might be criticised and be judged. Most of all that comes from parents, workplace, culture, society, etc.

2. Others-oriented perfectionists:

They are extremely detrimental because they are extremely competive and hold others to high standards. They are extremely judgy and critical, the sole reason to why they do not have friends and good relations with people around them. Mostly, it is from the workplace.

3. Self-oriented perfectionists:

They set high standards for themselves in their lives and careers, but are able to go after their goals. They are generally associated with the most adaptive traits, correlated with greater productivity and success, including resourcefulness and assertiveness. They have higher rates of positive emotions and motivation than the other groups of perfectionism. Among all, this must be the least harsh on the mental health.

So, now the question is, how does one overcome their perfectionism? The answer is here: Setting attainable goals will keep you from pursuing unattainable perfection. This way, you can achieve your goals with the resources you have. Set time limits for tasks and make sure to follow them. To avoid spending excess time trying to perform a task perfectly, create realistic time limits and stick to it.

Become aware of your tendencies and focus on all your positives. Always allow yourself to make mistakes and set more reasonable goals, learn how to receive criticism and take it without trying to perfect anything. Lower the pressure you put on yourself and focus on meaning over perfection. Never procrastinate, the thing about perfectionists is, they procrastinate a lot and then worry the last minute about making it perfect, so do not do that. Cut out all the negative influences, your opinion is what matters, so do not let others influence your mindset. Lastly, try to go to therapy.

This was all, tell me in the comments which kind of a perfectionist you are, this was Bithika Roy, talking about perfectionism, I hope you learned something new and enjoyed it. If you did, do follow. Good night.