3 Ways To Stop Pressuring Yourself To Be Perfect

• Helene Lerner


• 22 Jan 2016

Are you a perfectionist? Answer the following questions and find out. Think of how you’ve handled specific situations as you respond.

• Do you set unusually high standards for yourself and others and get disappointed if they are not met?
• Are you rarely satisfied after you have accomplished a task, not giving yourself the credit you deserve or looking to achieve something else?
• Do you lose perspective easily, treating a minor task as important as a major one – thinking that everything has to be done perfectly?
• Are you overly sensitive to criticism and dwell on it even after the moment has passed?

Perfectionism is usually riddled with the fear that you will be judged harshly if you don’t do something the “right” way.

Here are some strategies to help you change your perspective and treat yourself more kindly:

• Before you engage in an activity, think positively. Tell yourself that you are about to embark on a task that will be completed in a timely and efficient manner, even if it isn’t done perfectly.
• When you make a mistake, don’t dwell on it. look at how you could have done things differently and move on. Think to yourself, “next!”
• Endorse yourself when you do something out of the ordinary. (For example, tell yourself, “Way to go, girl!” when you make time during the week to have dinner with friends.)

Adapted from Helene’s book, Time for Me