Manchester Karate Studio
371 South Willow Street – 2nd floor
Manchester, NH 03103
(603) 625-5835
The word “perfection” brings to mind flawlessness which comes across as a desirable goal and virtue.
Perfectionists are obsessed with flawlessness in every task they carry out be its job performance, raising children who are perfect, having ideal social relationships or maintaining the perfect home. It is natural to assume that this obsessive preference for perfectionism boils over into attaining excellent physical and mental health status as well. According to studies, obsessing about perfection can add vast amounts of psychological pressure, and there is a direct link between perfectionism as a personality trait and increased mortality risk!
Psychologists believe there are two sides to perfectionism. The positive side involves setting goals of excellence and higher standards for self, while the negative aspect involves a compulsive obsession with perfectionism and anxiety about being imperfect. In the study, more than 450 adults were followed for more than six years while a questionnaire was given at the beginning of the study to assess the personality trait. At the end of the study period, those who had high scores on perfectionism were 51% more likely to die. According to researchers, the enormous amounts of anxiety and stress that are synonymous with perfectionism contribute to the mortality risk.
Here are some tips to overcome negative perfectionism:
Recognize the issue: Review your thoughts and actions and see if perfectionism is influencing every aspect of life. Negative perfectionism can lead to frustration, depression, aggression, and anxiety. If you find that you are overly critical of yourself, indulge in “black and white thinking” that relates to thinking anything less than absolute perfection is a failure or project a catastrophe to yourself, you are probably dealing with negative aspects of perfectionism.
Try to adopt realistic thinking: Affirmation and rational thoughts repeated every day, and every time the perfectionist tendencies creep in can help overcome the anxiety. When practiced regularly, these thoughts become habits, and it is possible to develop a new way of thinking.
Look at the big picture: Along with perspective taking, it is helpful to look at the big picture when minor details occupy a lot of mental space.