Perfectionism

‘Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection’

Do you strive to be the best at everything and sometimes feel that the best you have given is not enough? What do you feel when you think you have “failed” at a given task? It may be that job interview where you did not get the job or it may be feelings of inadequacy about how you raise your children.

Have you ever questioned what ‘perfect’ is? Have you ever sought to quantify it?

In truth, everyone has a different view on what perfect is. You may think how you managed a meeting was “perfect”, whilst your colleague may think it was anything but.

This doesn’t mean that you should not strive to achieve a goal. On the contrary, working to achieve your goals is positive. It is more about how you feel in relation to the whole experience, from start to finish. So let’s take a look at how you feel about it and whether you are a perfectionist.

Signs of Perfectionism

Answer yes or no to the following:

  • You have a tendency to procrastinate
  • You worry about not being good enough and failing
  • You have unattainable goals and standards
  • If things are not perfect you consider yourself a failure
  • You are results-driven and do not allow yourself to enjoy the process
  • You don’t allow any mistakes
  • You are hard on yourself when things don’t go to plan. You effectively punish yourself
  • You spot mistakes which others can’t – sometimes these can be real but at times they are imagined

You may suffer from some if not all of the above. Being unhappy and dissatisfied with your performance can lead to anxiety, guilt and depression. Working all hours to perfect something can lead to paying little regard to yourself and your health. A Swedish study involving 383 people found that perfectionism correlated with the degree of sleep problems. Lack of sleep has been known to increase risk of diseases such Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart attacks and some cancers.

There is, however, good news in that you can prevent the negative implications of perfectionism being a hindrance on your life and those around you.

How can Shaanti Wellness help me?

Trying to be “perfect” can be stressful to both mental and physical health. At Shaanti Wellness we have tools and techniques to better deal with your perceived notions of perfection. This may include customised relaxation to calm the body, which in turn calms the mind. We use mindfulness techniques and Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (CBH) to instil a mindset not so focused on the “perfect” way of doing things but more focused on the value you attain when focusing your attention on the task at hand and actually enjoying it from start to finish. The therapy will focus on the problems you face as a perfectionist and hone in on solutions. This will give you a new lease of life, which you can apply in your work and home environment, and as we often see will benefit you, your colleagues, your friends and your family. Michael Jackson once said “I’m never pleased with any  I’m a perfectionist, it is part of who I am”. This comes from a man who according to the Guinness book of records, is the most successful entertainer in history. In fact, he was such a perfectionist that he didn’t release a lot of songs which his collaborator’s suggested were amazing.  Is perfectionism holding you back? If so get in touch and see how we can help.

How long can I expect it to take?

Minimum of 4 sessions We usually recommend a minimum of four sessions so that we can teach the skills needed to overcome your perfectionist tendencies. This combined with cognitive skills to ensure you stick to this new habit and don’t relapse is all part of the therapy provided.

shaanti.wellness Yoga can help with acceptance and being in the present moment remarkably well. Yoga can leave us with long-lasting results that with practice, achieve a greater sense of wellbeing. Irrespective of your experience, our qualified KRI Yoga teacher will be on hand to ensure you are taken care of. One-to-one sessions or group sessions are available. Find out more

At Shaanti Wellness our ethos is to you bring you into a better place from where we found you, a calmer you, a more vibrant you.

 

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