{"id":719,"date":"2021-07-30T04:11:57","date_gmt":"2021-07-30T04:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ultimatehealthreport.com\/is-perfectionism-ruining-your-health\/"},"modified":"2021-07-30T04:11:57","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T04:11:57","slug":"is-perfectionism-ruining-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ultimatehealthreport.com\/is-perfectionism-ruining-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Perfectionism Ruining Your Health?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you\u2019re wondering if you\u2019re a perfectionist, I\u2019d say there\u2019s a good chance you are. Or at least have perfectionist tendencies. I know I do. After all, who doesn\u2019t want to be perfect? Who doesn\u2019t want to be the one who gets the gold stars, the big wins, and the admiration?<\/p>\n
Perfectionism is one of those traits people typically see as a positive, but underneath it is often self-defeating thoughts and emotions, low self-esteem, stress, and chronic anxiety,<\/strong> which actually make it harder to achieve your goals. And, if I\u2019m being honest here, it makes it harder to function in general.<\/p>\n As a health coach, I see this all the time, and I know what it feels like. The procrastination, the all-or-nothing thinking, the unrealistic standards. My clients get so wrapped up in trying to \u201cget it right,\u201d that it defeats the whole purpose of working with someone to get their health on track in the first place.<\/p>\n Psychologists describe perfectionism as the tendency to demand an extremely high or even flawless level of performance (from yourself or others) \u2014 significantly more than what\u2019s required from the situation. It\u2019s the unhealthy belief that anything less than perfect is unacceptable. No pressure, right?<\/p>\n It\u2019s a combo of excessively high personal standards and overly critical self-evaluations. And it sets you up for feeling shame, judgement, and blame, which then leads to more of those debilitating, self-defeating thoughts.<\/p>\n Being motivated is great. But there\u2019s a big difference between healthy motivation and aiming for perfection. Healthy motivation looks like self-focus, self-compassion, and having a growth mindset, while perfection is more about people-pleasing, fear, and control.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The issue with perfectionism, and the reason it\u2019s important to know if you have any of these characteristics, is that, despite their intentions, perfectionists actually end up achieving less and stressing out more than those with healthy motivation. Their goal is to be perfect, yet they\u2019re self-sabotaging every step of the way.<\/p>\n Common traits of perfectionists:<\/p>\n Researchers say it stems from the belief that your self-worth is based on your accomplishments. If you got rewarded for getting straight A\u2019s on your report card, scoring the winning goal, having flawless dance recitals, or being a \u201cgood kid\u201d and cleaning your plate \u2014 and felt compelled to continue achieving so that you\u2019d keep receiving outside validation, congratulations, you\u2019re probably a perfectionist.<\/p>\n Perfectionism can also be learned by growing up around perfectionist parents.<\/strong> Maybe you used to hear them openly criticize themselves, or second-guess their choices, or blame themselves for your missteps. If so, it\u2019s easy to see how you could pick up those behaviours yourself.<\/p>\n Sound like you? If so, you\u2019re not alone. Perfectionism has increased by 33% over the past 30 years and it\u2019s taking a huge toll on mental health. In this study published by the American Psychological Association, researchers analyzed data from 41,641 American, Canadian, and British college students from 1989 to 2016. Participants answered questions in the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), a 35- question self-reported measure with four sub-scales of perfectionism:<\/p>\n More recent generations reported significantly higher scores. Turns out, social media is at least partially responsible for that rise. College students (and pretty much everyone on the planet) are feeling the pressure to perfect themselves in comparison to others, which leads to body and financial dissatisfaction, having unattainable education and career goals, and a myriad of other issues all centered around lack<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just mental health that takes a hit either. In addition to clinical depression, anxiety, burnout, and eating disorders, perfectionists have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease due to self-imposed stress and perceived failure., They also tend to have a harder time recovering from heart attacks and managing auto-immune conditions.<\/p>\n When I work with clients, my goal is to help them get out of their own heads \u2014 and out of their own way \u2014 so they can easily and effortlessly reach their goals. These strategies do just that. Follow along and see if you can start to tame some of your perfectionist tendencies.<\/p>\n Demanding a flawless performance from yourself or others, getting bogged down in the details, and believing wholeheartedly that anything less than perfect is unacceptable is not only extremely draining, it can lead to serious mental, emotional, and physical ramifications, from anxiety, depression, and burnout to heart disease and high blood pressure.<\/p>\n If you feel like perfectionism is starting to mess with your health, break the cycle by following these six strategies or reach out to a qualified behaviour change specialist \u2014 you can find some great ones here.<\/p>\n Are you a perfectionist? Tell me about your experience with it below.<\/em><\/p>\nWhat is Perfectionism Anyway?<\/h3>\n
Got These Perfectionist Traits?<\/h3>\n
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So, What Causes Perfectionism?<\/h3>\n
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How to Overcome a Perfectionist Mindset<\/h3>\n
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Are You a Perfectionist?<\/h3>\n
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