Discover the large impact perfectionism has on your work, relationships, and mental health

Welcome back to this series, where we learn how to deal with perfectionism. Having overly high standards can impact various aspects of your life. It can affect your work, relationships, and mental health.

Work

Perfectionism can lead to procrastination, fear of taking on new challenges, and burnout at work. It can cause you to delay working on a project because of the fear that you may fail. Conversely, it can also make you spend too much time on a task to make it perfect. Perfectionists do tend to be more motivated and engaged. However, studies find that they do not perform better than other people. With the high risk of stress and burnout, wanting things to be perfect every time is not constructive at work.

Relationships

Perfectionism can create unrealistic expectations for yourself and others. Perhaps you may avoid getting close to others because you fear being judged or rejected for your flaws. In doing this, you may miss out on having deep emotional connections and intimate relationships. Expecting too much from others can also lead to controlling behavior. You might fall into the trap of ensuring others do things "the right way." Doing this might push people further away from you. Overall, having realistic expectations for yourself and others is vital to having good relationships. After all, people are always far from perfect.

Mental Health

Things are rarely as good as perfectionists want them to be. This constant disappointment can cause mental health problems such as anxiety or stress. Perfectionism can also cause you to experience a lack of self-compassion. It can lead to negative self-talk and self-criticism, making you feel like you are never good enough.

Conclusion

It's vital to recognize the downsides of perfectionism and how it can hold you back in your work, relationships, and mental health. In the final article of this series, we will explore ways you can overcome perfectionism and learn to settle on "good enough."