Perfectionism and how to deal with it

In short: Perfectionism means setting extremely high standards for yourself or others, often linked to strong fear of mistakes. In moderation it can boost performance, in excess it leads to stress and blocks.

In more detail: Experts distinguish functional perfectionism, which motivates, from dysfunctional perfectionism, which paralyses.

In detail

• Signs: Tasks never feel “finished enough”, mistakes feel like catastrophes.
• Causes: Often early experiences with evaluation and pressure to perform.
• Consequences: Procrastination, exhaustion, constant dissatisfaction despite good results (prokrastination-ueberwinden).
• Practising “good enough”: Deliberately finish tasks with an acceptable rather than perfect result.
• Realistic standards: Compare your own expectations with those for others.
• Self-compassion: Treat yourself like a good friend.
• Seeking help: For strong distress, therapy can help (selbstfuersorge-im-alltag).