Perfectionism can often have a downside, as the constant pursuit of flawlessness can interfere with daily life and even stall progress. If you’re wondering whether perfectionism might be affecting you, this article delves into the potential drawbacks of striving for perfection. Here’s a look at the challenges that come with being a perfectionist.
You Are Demanding
Perfectionists don’t just expect error-free behavior from themselves; they also have very high expectations for those around them, including their family and friends. They may be very disappointed in others when they get things wrong and struggle to understand why they don’t adhere to the same strict standards as they do.
You Can’t Forgive
Psychology Today says that forgiveness is important as it encourages compassion, and you can relate to others as part of the human experience. But if you’re a perfectionist, you might expect perfection from others. So, when they get things wrong, you find it hard to forgive them.
You Psych Yourself Out
Being a perfectionist can make you expect too much from yourself. So, when you have a task to complete, you worry about how you’ll do it and whether you’ll be successful. You can become so worried about potentially failing that you completely psych yourself out.
You Lie
Some researchers estimate, says Golden Steps ABA, that the average person tells around 1–2 lies per day. Perfectionists feel like they have to lie to maintain their flawless reputation in front of others. They’re afraid to admit their mistakes and lie to others to cover them up.
You Overthink
You tend to go over ideas, conversations, plans, and just about everything you do time and time again in your head. You think about what you need to do and the possible consequences. You also think about the decisions you made in the past and consider how you could perfect them next time around.
You Miss Deadlines
Being a perfectionist also delays you when completing tasks. If you miss a deadline, it’s not because you weren’t paying attention to the task. Rather, you missed it because you were paying too much attention to the task and couldn’t bring yourself to deem it finished.
You Are Slow At Making Decisions
You might be a perfectionist if you’re slow at making decisions. The fact that it has taken ages for you to come to a decision doesn’t mean that you weren’t thinking about it. In fact, it’s all the thinking you do that slows you down.
You Regret
Perfectionism makes you over-analyze the things you’ve said and done in the past. And as there are always flaws in the things we do and say, you feel regret over your past choices. You mull over even mundane conversations and regret the things you said and did.
You Are Hard On Yourself
Perfectionists are their own harshest critics. You’re very hard on yourself and expect to be able to do everything flawlessly. Even the slightest hiccup gets you down and makes you feel stupid. You’re only truly happy when things go exactly as you planned.
You Can’t Forget
Perfectionism makes it very hard for you to forget things. Instead of continuing with your day, the echoes of a conversation you had last month are still spinning around in your mind. You can’t forget the mistakes you make, and these linger in your mind for days and weeks.
You Are Tired
Being a perfectionist overworks both your body and your mind. Because of this, you always feel fatigued. Even though your body wants to rest, you can’t allow yourself to because you have too many pending tasks to complete. Then, when you eventually lie down, you can’t get your mind to switch off.
You Are Never Satisfied
Even when you have completed a task flawlessly, as a perfectionist, you’ll still not be satisfied. This is because you’re always moving on to your next unattainable goal and don’t stop to analyze your achievements and feel good about yourself. It is difficult for you to feel complete.
You Can’t Adapt
Perfectionists are 10 steps ahead of the game. Everything in life has to fall into a perfect plan as you foresee it. So, when something comes along that might hinder you from achieving your goals, you can’t adapt and refuse to compromise. The decisions you make can’t be altered.
You Need Compliments
As a perfectionist, you need to know that others see how perfectly you’re completing tasks. You thrive on compliments and need them to feel good about yourself. You’re constantly seeking approval and recognition, even for basic tasks you complete around the home and at work.
You Delay
According to Medium, the average adult starts to feel stressed if they’re just ten minutes late for a social event or meeting. Anything past 13 minutes is considered “late.” Perfectionism makes you late because you can spend so long getting ready to go out. It may take a long time to complete tasks that others may think are simple.
You Overplan
Success says that overplanning increases stress and creates worry. Overplanning comes from an insatiable desire to have everything under control. Because being a perfectionist means overplanning, it takes you a long time to organize even simple activities, and when you do, you feel exhausted afterward.
You Are Insecure
Statistics from the New York Post say that the average person feels insecure five times a day. If you’re a perfectionist, you’re more likely to suffer from feelings of insecurity. This is because you expect too much from yourself and are always putting yourself down when you underachieve.
You Are Stressed
According to the APA, around three-quarters of adults (76%) said they have experienced health impacts due to stress in the prior month. If you try to do everything perfectly, you’ll experience a level of stress because it’s impossible to stop making mistakes.
You Can’t Delegate
Delegating tasks is a good way for you to lighten your load. But perfectionism won’t allow you to put others in charge of a task you can do because you’re afraid that they won’t do it perfectly. The thought of someone messing up is too much to bear.