Dealing with perfectionism

[kmkmad]

I’m having a hard time dealing with life especially at work. I’m happy sometimes and feel like I got this but I lose my momentum. I’ve been researching and perfectionist always comes up. It’s giving me anxiety and making work and life horrible sometimes.

Does anyone have experience with learning not to be a perfectionist and live life and not be to hard on myself.

Thanks in advance!

[Jeff1943]

We live in an imperfect world, try to become a perfectionist and it will break your heart. Get the overview perfect and some of the detail, do your best in the available time, then move swiftly on.

[Sam_Walker]

Hello 🤗 I’m also a perfectionist and I know how stressful it can be! To tell you the truth, venting seems to work well for me whenever I’m worried something isn’t perfect. Also, try to get some perspective by asking people what they think of your work, because sometimes it’s better than you think! Just try to enjoy what you’re doing (I know that’s hard when you want it to be flawless). Hope you get better and hope this helped a bit!! Good luck!

[kmkmad in reply to Sam_Walker]

Thanks Sam!!! ❤️

[Sam_Walker]

You’re welcome 💖

[designguy]

Hello, i somewhat jokingly refer to myself as a "recovering perfectionist" since I find it is still my defensive default, but I have made a lot of progress in no longer having it impact my life. Perfectionism is a defense mechanism for low self esteem and not feeling good enough about yourself and is learned behavior. It can also be a major contributor to anxiety disorder. Since it is learned behavior it means you can relearn constructive behavior in place of it.

i worked for years as a designer in advertising and marketing which is a industry that cultivates perfectionism. i realized a few years ago that my self worth was based on external things, what I did and what i accomplished. This helped me understand and start making peace with myself. I recommend that you educate yourself about perfectionism, there are some very good books available such as The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. Also, working with a good therapist can be very helpful. The trick is to learn to make your perfectionism work for you and not against you.

[kmkmad in reply to designguy]

Thanks friend