Exploring The Complexities of Perfectionism: A Double-edged Sword

Exploring The Complexities of Perfectionism: A Double-edged Sword



Are you the type of person who often has exceedingly high standards for yourself? Do you often struggle to live up to your own expectations, which constantly makes you feel inadequate and unfulfilled? Then you might be able to relate to this topic. Even though perfectionism is mostly seen as a positive personality trait, in my opinion, it's not all sunshine and roses.

 


At first glance, you'd think striving for perfection would motivate you to be more productive and efficient, right?  

Contrary to this belief, perfectionism comes with a great deal of anxiety and fear, which significantly disrupts the quality of your performance. This is mostly due to the fact that perfectionism is rooted in our insecurities and low self esteem issues. Usually, perfectionists are way too worried about their self-image and how people perceive them. They also often strive for validation. So, contrary to the notion that “failure is the pillar to success," failure discourages and demotivates them, resulting in decreased productivity and efficiency. The constant fear of falling short and not being “good enough” leads to a never ending cycle of anxiety for them, which affects their personal and work/academic life.

 

For example, I used to love singing and painting growing up. But the thought of not perfecting a note at first try or not being as good as xyz always demotivated me and I'd always criticize myself for not doing as well as I'd like. So, I'd often give up even before trying in fear of falling short, which, in hindsight, is very foolish. So, in my experience, the anxiety and overthinking that come with perfectionism often take away the fun of doing things you enjoy.

 

So, being overly obsessive about achieving perfection at all times isn't at all healthy .In fact, it's quite impractical because being "the best" at everything from the get-go is simply not always possible.


However, perfectionism isn't all bad. Healthy perfectionism that doesn't destroy your confidence, can push you to work hard for your goals. But it's important to be kind to yourself in the process and practice self acceptance. It's important to set realistic expectations for yourself and accepting that failure is a normal step in everyone's life.

Thank you for reading!


Written by

Noshin Noor
ID: 24101154
Sec: 2






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