How Perfectionism Affects Your Mental Health?

The American Psychological Association defines perfectionism as the tendency to demand from others or oneself an extremely high or even flawless level of performance, in excess of what is required in the situation. Do you feel like you've never done your best, even if you've tried super hard?⁣

If you're reading this and nodding, you may struggle with it.⁣ Here are some examples that may help you recognize when perfectionism is starting to motivate your actions. For instance, you never feel that you know enough, you see mistakes as proof of inadequacy and you never celebrate your success.

If you recognize any symptoms, you can decide how to move forward. The first step is noticing its signs and understanding how it is affecting you.

Perfectionism is a myth and we don't have to pursue it. (Photo via Pexels/ Brett Jordan)

How perfectionism affects your mental health?

Perfectionism negatively affects both our physical and emotional wellbeing. It is challenging to live with the internalized voice that is asking us to be perfect. No matter what they do or how hard they try, perfectionists frequently engage in a harsh mental conversation in which their inner voice constantly reminds them that they are inadequate.

Not only is having such a continual inner monologue tiring and exhausting, but perfectionists also frequently judge themselves for doing so or believe that their ongoing efforts serve as further evidence of their unavoidable imperfections.

Having the perfectionist mentality can be harmful. The World Health Organization reports that young people are experiencing mental illness in record proportions. Compared to a decade ago, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts are more prevalent in the US, Canada, and the UK today.

Even as researchers took into account personality qualities like neuroticism, evidence demonstrates that perfectionistic impulses predict problems like melancholy, anxiety, and stress.

Making matters worse, having negative thoughts about oneself may trigger symptoms of depression, which may in turn exacerbate negative thoughts about oneself, creating a distressing cycle.

Perfectionism is not the only thing that leads to mental health issues; some of these issues themselves can lead to perfectionism. For instance, a recent study indicated that college students with social anxiety were more likely to develop into perfectionists over the course of a year, but not the other way around.

It has also been demonstrated that self-compassion, which perfectionists lack, is one of the strongest defenses against anxiety and despair.

Direct consequences of perfectionism

Research shows that the need to be perfect may stem from our childhood beliefs of being good. If our thoughts, feelings, and behavior don't match this template, we can fall into the trap of perfectionism.

The following are a few consequences of this:

1) Procrastination

Procrastination is one of the effects of perfectionism. You may assume that perfectionists are overachievers because they demand that everything be structured in a specific way. However, this way of thinking lowers productivity, increasing the level of stress. ‌

You might be an 'all-or-nothing' kind of person if you're a perfectionist. You either see deadlines and events as positive or negative when they occur. It's possible to become so preoccupied with what you're trying to accomplish perfectly that you stop doing it altogether. You might also postpone tasks well beyond the deadline because you are so concerned with them being flawless.

Wanting to be a perfectionist can be insidious and draining for our health! (Photo via Unsplash/ Milad fakurian)

2) Physical health

People who are perfectionists may have hygiene and health issues. If the problem is severe enough, you could develop an eating disorder like orthorexia nervosa, in which case you would feel pressured to follow a strict, ideal diet.

You might feel like you are spiraling if you have missed your diet for a day. This obsession with having precise control over your life may even be a symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder. Control is often at the center of the perfectionist mentality. Other mental health disorders may develop over time when you lose such control.

Do you strive for the perfect face? the perfect body? (Photo via Pexels/ Sora Shimazaki)

3) Absentmindedness

Another drawback of the perfectionist mentality is that you may frequently miss the current moment. You live inside your head because you are preoccupied with or critical of what is happening around you. You may become anxious about making a choice in the future or replaying an event from the day. ‌In either case, you are not paying attention to the moment in front of you. ‌

When we are occupied by our failures, we miss out on the present. (Photo via Pexels/ Ketut Subiyanto)

4) Imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome and perfectionism frequently go hand in hand. Consider this: Perfectionists set unrealistically high standards for themselves, so when they fall short of a goal, they are deeply troubled by feelings of inadequacy. This group, whether they realize it or not, can also have an excessive need to control and believe that in order to get something done well, they must do it themselves.

Perfectionism and imposter syndrome go hand in hand. (Photo via Unsplash/ Chris Yang)

Takeaway

There are several drawbacks to this way of thinking, despite some people telling you that being perfect is a positive quality. Recognizing that perfectionism doesn't benefit you is the first step to overcoming it. Remember that there is a thin line between striving for excellence and being 'perfect'!