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How to Overcome Perfectionism
Learn what perfectionism is, signs you may be a perfectionist, its root causes, and (most importantly) 10 ways to overcome it.
By Becky Mollenkamp, PCC
You want to know how to overcome perfectionism, likely because you are one of the millions of people who struggle with a perfectionist mindset.
Perfectionism is on the rise globally, studies have found, and that’s not a good thing.
Perfect isn’t possible (certainly not 100% of the time), so setting unattainable goals sets you up for frequent disappointment. The dangers of perfectionism are many, including such negative health outcomes as anxiety, sleep disturbances, depression, and even suicide.
Why do you hold yourself to unrealistic, and impossible, expectations? Why do you set yourself up to fail?
Read on to find out the signs of perfectionism (they aren’t always what you think), perfectionism vs. healthy striving, root causes of perfectionism, and 10 ways to overcome it.
Signs of perfectionism
Not every perfectionist self-identifies as such. That’s because it doesn’t always manifest as the stereotypical Type-A overachiever. In fact, many of the signs of perfectionism can look quite different.
