The Student Room Group

Perfectionism is ruining me

I am a perfectonist by nature, but I am not perfect - there is a paradox. I am held back by it massively in all areas of life because I get frustrated that I cannot achieve things and blame it on my imperfection.

Academically this will be demonstrated by me not doing the work if I am unable to do it - in the form of finding it very difficult to make a start on it...Basically, I just feel pretty inadequate and lose confidence in my ability.

With girls, I find that I tend to hold myself back in talking to them if I am not looking good. Also, I am just less likely to take risks with them e.g. being the first one to make the move UNLESS I am absolutely certain that I will be successful.

Clothing - has to be colour co-ordinated etc... you get the picture.

I want to get over this because it is starting to affect me very badly, for a number of reasons. There are guys better then me, I got to accept that I am not perfect and secondly I will never actually utilize my potential properly unless I embrace who I am and act congurently no matter what situation I am in. Any tips on how to overcome this? thanks.

Reply 1

Please don't laugh this off because it seems pretty extreme but have you considered counselling. They will be able to help you lower your need for perfectionism so that it doesn't stand so much in your way.

Perfectionism is evil and it seriously affects you - I know how you feel because it is my perfectionist qualities which contributed towards my ED. So I mean please do get some help because it can lead to some serious problems

Reply 2

This is copy and pasted from a self help website thing

Overcoming perfectionism requires courage, for it means accepting our imperfections and humanness. Here are several strategies that will help replace perfectionistic habits with healthier, more satisfying behavior patterns.
1. Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of trying to be perfect.

When you make your own list of costs and benefits, you may find that the costs are too great. You may discover that problems with relationships, excessive workaholism, eating and substance abuse problems, and other compulsive behaviors (plus the accompanying anxiety, nervousness, feelings of inadequacy, self-criticism, and so on) actually outweigh whatever advantages perfectionism holds for you.
2. Increase your awareness of the self-critical nature of your all-or-nothing thoughts, and how they extend to other people in your life.

Learn to substitute more realistic, reasonable thoughts for your habitually critical ones. When you find yourself berating a less-than-perfect performance, whether your own or someone else's, force yourself to look at and acknowledge the good parts of that performance. Then ask yourself questions like these: Is it really as bad as I feel it is? How do other people see it? Is it a reasonably good performance for the person(s) and circumstances involved?
3. Be realistic about what you can do.

By setting more realistic goals, you will gradually realise that "imperfect" results do not lead to the punitive consequences you expect and fear. Suppose you swim laps every day, not as athletic training, but for relaxation and exercise. You set yourself the goal of 20 laps, and you can barely swim 15. If you are perfectionistic, you soon feel disappointed at your poor performance and anxious about improving it. You may even give up swimming because you're not "good enough."

Suppose that instead you tell yourself 15 laps is good enough for now. You accept the possibility that you may never be able to swim 20 laps easily, if at all. So you continue swimming without anxiety. You don't necessarily stop trying to improve, but you swim for fun and exercise and relaxation-for however many laps you can. Perfectionists often miss out on fun, relaxation and satisfaction.
4. Set strict time limits on each of your projects. When the time is up, move on: attend to another activity.

This technique reduces the procrastination that typically results from perfectionism. Suppose you must find references for a term paper and also study for an exam. Set time limits. For example: Decide that you will spend only 3 hours looking up references, then only 3 more hours studying for the test. If you stick to your time limits, you won't spend the entire day searching for elusive references, nor try to study late at night when you are too tired to be effective.

5. Learn how to deal with criticism.

Perfectionists often view criticism as a personal attack, responding to it defensively. Concentrate on being more objective about the criticism, and about yourself. If someone criticizes you for making a mistake, acknowledge the mistake and assert your right to make mistakes.

Remind that person and yourself that if you stop making mistakes, you also stop learning and growing. Once you no longer buy into the fallacy that humans must be perfect to be worthwhile, you won't feel so angry or defensive when you make a mistake. Criticism will then seem like a natural thing from which to learn, rather than something to be avoided at all costs.

Hope that helps

Reply 3

Anonymous
Please don't laugh this off because it seems pretty extreme but have you considered counselling. They will be able to help you lower your need for perfectionism so that it doesn't stand so much in your way.

Perfectionism is evil and it seriously affects you - I know how you feel because it is my perfectionist qualities which contributed towards my ED. So I mean please do get some help because it can lead to some serious problems


Yeah I have. The only thing that I am afraid of about counselling is if they start giving me anti-depressents and stuff. I am health concious.

btw ED is 'eating disorder'?

It is seriously evil, I have developed such an inferiority complex with other guys as a result of this. For example, I have been gymming for like three years now made great progression from where I started but I want to be bigger and better - and frankly I don't give myself credit for what I have done in that time frame. This applies to everything else in my life.

I just always think that I am not good enough - I have tried to overcome it but I just can't. Also it does not help that my family have put me under immense pressure to do well. So I feel as though I have to live up to other peoples expectations rather then my own otherwise I would be branded a loser.

Reply 4

I'm in the same boat as you.

I seem to blame all the bad things in my life on my imperfections. And try to perfect them..

It's a vicious circle. I know it all too well.

Reply 5

sarcasticallysincere
This is copy and pasted from a self help website thing

Overcoming perfectionism requires courage, for it means accepting our imperfections and humanness. Here are several strategies that will help replace perfectionistic habits with healthier, more satisfying behavior patterns.
1. Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of trying to be perfect.


Physically I am not a bad looking guy, but I have a jaw defection (I need orthodontics treatment). Anyway it has longaged my face (which is not such a big deal aside from having a weak jawline), but I am unable to smile with my teeth. I guess this has caused me to become frustrated about my appearance because I know (given that I do get female attention now) if my jaw was fixed and I could smile with my teeth I would probably get attention much more easily from girls I find hot much more regularly. This has manifested into an inferiority complex in terms looks - to the point that no matter how many times I get called sexy or whatever I still think that I am missing something. When with a girl alone I am constantly doubting myself on whether she sees me in that way - which is a turn off as it comes off in my body language.


When you make your own list of costs and benefits, you may find that the costs are too great. You may discover that problems with relationships, excessive workaholism, eating and substance abuse problems, and other compulsive behaviors (plus the accompanying anxiety, nervousness, feelings of inadequacy, self-criticism, and so on) actually outweigh whatever advantages perfectionism holds for you.
2. Increase your awareness of the self-critical nature of your all-or-nothing thoughts, and how they extend to other people in your life.


Yeah I agree, I know it is destructive, it is just my mindset is essentially negative. The fear of doing a half arsed job and getting a 2:2/3rd on a project terrifies me. So I begin to procastronate if I fall behind.

I remember for one module last year I achieved a first in it overall. I was unhappy that I didn't get a 20/20 because another guy I knew got it. Stuff like this drives me nuts.


Learn to substitute more realistic, reasonable thoughts for your habitually critical ones. When you find yourself berating a less-than-perfect performance, whether your own or someone else's, force yourself to look at and acknowledge the good parts of that performance. Then ask yourself questions like these: Is it really as bad as I feel it is? How do other people see it? Is it a reasonably good performance for the person(s) and circumstances involved?
3. Be realistic about what you can do.

By setting more realistic goals, you will gradually realise that "imperfect" results do not lead to the punitive consequences you expect and fear. Suppose you swim laps every day, not as athletic training, but for relaxation and exercise. You set yourself the goal of 20 laps, and you can barely swim 15. If you are perfectionistic, you soon feel disappointed at your poor performance and anxious about improving it. You may even give up swimming because you're not "good enough."


I guess the problem here is acceptance. I am scared of accepting the fact that if I set myself what I would think are realistic goals I may yes achieve them but at the same time feel pretty unfulfilled because they may be mediocore goals that I know I can achieve. If not that, I suppose what I fear is that actually I am just mediocore and not good at the things I thought I was. The problem is confidence - I just lack it big time.

To complicate things my academic career is so inconsistant, first year for example I did not do great - but then second year I averaged a high 2:1. Now I am struggling again and finding it hard to pick myself up. My lecturers can all see the potential in me, are encouraging me but I am just lacking self-belief.

I do yeah have a tendency to quit projects that I have started because they get too hard. But before I do that I am persistant for ages, it is just when I don't get anywhere I basically become disheartened and give up.


Suppose that instead you tell yourself 15 laps is good enough for now. You accept the possibility that you may never be able to swim 20 laps easily, if at all. So you continue swimming without anxiety. You don't necessarily stop trying to improve, but you swim for fun and exercise and relaxation-for however many laps you can. Perfectionists often miss out on fun, relaxation and satisfaction.
4. Set strict time limits on each of your projects. When the time is up, move on: attend to another activity.


Yep that is something I have not done to date, I should employ this.


This technique reduces the procrastination that typically results from perfectionism. Suppose you must find references for a term paper and also study for an exam. Set time limits. For example: Decide that you will spend only 3 hours looking up references, then only 3 more hours studying for the test. If you stick to your time limits, you won't spend the entire day searching for elusive references, nor try to study late at night when you are too tired to be effective.


Agreed.


5. Learn how to deal with criticism.

Perfectionists often view criticism as a personal attack, responding to it defensively. Concentrate on being more objective about the criticism, and about yourself. If someone criticizes you for making a mistake, acknowledge the mistake and assert your right to make mistakes.

Remind that person and yourself that if you stop making mistakes, you also stop learning and growing. Once you no longer buy into the fallacy that humans must be perfect to be worthwhile, you won't feel so angry or defensive when you make a mistake. Criticism will then seem like a natural thing from which to learn, rather than something to be avoided at all costs.

Hope that helps


I have had criticism throughout my life of people telling me that I cant do this, I can't do that from a very early age. I guess due to this I developed this state of mind, because as a result I became very competitive and basically now I am on a mission to prove the doubters wrong. Unfortunantly, I have had flak from both family and outsiders - so when I am underperforming, I take it really hard and mentally become paralyzed, because I have met 'status quo' - so to put it.

Reply 6

I must say this thread really helped me as I have recently realized that my perfectionism is ruining my life as well. I'm 17 years old and same as the OP I really get annoyed when I come second at anything, especially something I had high expectations for.

For example, in an assessment at school I got 7 8 8 and after how much work I've put in I truly expected to get 3 8s. Again, the 'top' guy in our year got 8 8 8 which crashed my confidence again and I felt 'not good enough'.

Of course, this has social implications for me as well and I've set it as one of my goals to care less about this sort of things - as the extract from that website says "do things for fun". I believe that if you do indeed do things for fun AND manage to find the fun in them you can achieve higher because you do it with a passion - and even if you don't, there's no big loss!

I've also recognized that my ego is fuelled if I always come top and this can be a difficult feeling to abandon.

Reply 7

Anonymous
Yeah I have. The only thing that I am afraid of about counselling is if they start giving me anti-depressents and stuff. I am health concious.


....And?

Seriously though, no one is going to force you to take antidepressants. However if your doctor thinks they will help you should seriously consider it, I've said it so many times on here but it's no different from taking a drug for any other health problem.

I'm a complete perfectionist but it's just something that's got more workable as I get older. It's quite a positive thing now because I push myself hard and generally do very well but I don't beat myself about not always being top. I do the absolute best I can do.

There will always be someone in some situations who is in some way 'better'. No one is perfect and it doesn't make you rubbish because you aren't either.

I know that's not much help now, but maybe it is something that will improve with time?

Reply 8

misslibby
....And?

Seriously though, no one is going to force you to take antidepressants. However if your doctor thinks they will help you should seriously consider it, I've said it so many times on here but it's no different from taking a drug for any other health problem.

Except that they're not. I wouldn't recommend it in younger people (sounds like the OP is still in school?) unless they're so cripplingly depressed that it's destroying their life. Anti deps have a lot of really bad side effects in younger people.

Reply 9

Anonymous
So I feel as though I have to live up to other peoples expectations rather then my own otherwise I would be branded a loser.


That's a mugs game. Don't mean to sound harsh but if you can't explain to them in reasoned tones that what they're doing is not helping you and would they mind stopping?, then you'll have to develop an inner core that doesnt care what people think.

Reply 10

Anonymous
That's a mugs game. Don't mean to sound harsh but if you can't explain to them in reasoned tones that what they're doing is not helping you and would they mind stopping?, then you'll have to develop an inner core that doesnt care what people think.


Ok, the fundamental problem is, is that for a long time I have been underestimated by people - I will go into details:

I lost weight due to an illness, two stones to be exact, so I went onto the path of recovery by bodybuilding and taking suppliments along with a good diet - at the start I got the following comment from my father:

"Why are you doing that?", me: "To rebuild my body", him: "Oh thats not going to work, all you doing is tightening your muscles"

2 years later , I am 2-3 stones heavier...bigger and broader NOW he says "Oh your fine as it is, you don't need to put on anymore weight"

I want to add another stone of muscle on me - it is proving really hard currently. Quite annoyed with that.

Girls:

If a hot one is interested in me and I actually isolate her in her room or mine.

aunt: "Was she a slag?" me: "No why?" her: "I can't see you with a hot girl only a really geeky one"

I have had girls call me sexy, intellectual etc. This is what my father had to say about my experiences:

Dad: I don't want to lead you on or anything, but most girls just feel sorry for you because you look dopey.

Shortly after this comment I went on a rampage at uni, got about 8 girls numbers, had about 4 dates and have had girls say that I look intelligent if anything.

Academia:

Parents: "Oh don't do that degree, its too hard for you"

3 years later - I am still doing it :rolleyes:

Me: "Yeah I got the offer from Warwick"
Parents: "Why do you want to go there for, its too expensive"

Uncle: "I can't see you graduating in your degree" (at the start of last year)

...I get a first in my module, and averaged a 2:1 overall - then tell him I am into third year

Uncle: "Well done"

...You get the picture. I not only get this kind of flak from family, but I get it from outsiders too - like one guy last year I lived with called me **** in my subject (he ended up dropping out whereas I didn't...ironic)

Yes, I suppose this kind of flak encourages me to prove the doubters wrong, but unfortunantly what ends up happening is that it ends up manifesting into becoming a perfectionist. Which is negative because I do like everyone else go through periods where things are going badly...so incidently, I just get depressed because I feel as though I am living up to status quo. Also, yeah I have trouble trusting people because everyone is competing with each other.

I do also always doubt myself; I find it incredibly hard to take compliments on board because I just feel as though someone is pulling my leg. I have tried to develop the "I don't give a **** attitude" but because I have had so much flak from such an early age it is hard to just do it.

I wont take anit-depressents been through so much and still managed to get through, not going to give into them.

Reply 11

Anonymous
I wont take anit-depressents been through so much and still managed to get through, not going to give into them.


Taking anti-depressants isn't a sign of weakness, just like it isn't weak for someone with a broken leg to have a cast put on it. Yes, for mild conditions, the side effects tend to outweigh the benefits. But for moderate and severe conditions, stress is bad for the body, and ultimately the side effects of anti-depressants are less than the side effects of being persistently anxious and/or depressed.

But anyway, that's not too important right now: if you go and see a counsellor, they can't give you antidepressants anyway - they're not allowed to prescribe :smile:.

Reply 12

you can change the structure and function of your brain just by thinking about it. which is extremelly useful for situations like these.

Go over, in extreme detail, every single perfection problem you have. break it down and dismiss it totally.

stop getting hung up on the small things and see the bigger picture

Reply 13

puppy
Except that they're not. I wouldn't recommend it in younger people (sounds like the OP is still in school?) unless they're so cripplingly depressed that it's destroying their life. Anti deps have a lot of really bad side effects in younger people.


True, probably should've read the post a bit better. However given his later post which says he's at uni, I'd still say he should consider them if his doctor suggests it...And take back what I said about it getting better as he gets older :redface:

OP you could try buying a book that explains the basics about cognitive behavioural therapy? It's not as good as actually seeing someone but it might help you understand your thought processes a bit more and learn to deal with them.