Breaking Free from Perfectionism – How to Stop Letting It Control Your Life
Are You Stuck in the Perfectionism Trap?
You double-check emails before sending, spend hours reworking assignments, and feel anxious about making mistakes. Even when you accomplish something, the relief is temporary—you’re already thinking about what’s next. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
You might find yourself:
Procrastinating because you feel like if it can’t be perfect, why bother?
Overthinking decisions to the point of exhaustion, fearing you’ll make the wrong choice.
Rewriting emails, assignments, or projects multiple times before submitting them.
Tying your self-worth to achievement, feeling like you need to earn rest.
Perfectionism isn’t just about having high standards; it’s about feeling like nothing you do is ever enough. It leads to burnout, anxiety, and imposter syndrome, making it harder to enjoy your successes.
Why Perfectionism Feels Impossible to Let Go Of
Perfectionism is sneaky because, on the surface, it looks like ambition. You tell yourself, I’m just holding myself to a high standard. But in reality, perfectionism isn’t about high standards—it’s about fear. Fear of failing, fear of disappointing others, fear of not being good enough.
Perfectionism tricks you into believing:
“If I don’t get this exactly right, I’ll fail.”
“If I’m not productive, I’m falling behind.”
“If I rest, I’m being lazy.”
“I should always be improving, or I’m not good enough.”
Sound familiar? If so, let’s talk about how to break the cycle.
How to Break Free from Perfectionism
✅ Redefine Success
Success doesn’t mean doing everything perfectly—it means progress, learning, and showing up. Instead of aiming for perfection, try aiming for completion.
✅ Set ‘Good Enough’ Goals
Not everything requires 100% effort. Some things deserve 80%, some things deserve 50%. Challenge yourself to turn in a project when it’s done, not when it’s perfect.
✅ Challenge Your Inner Critic
Notice when your self-talk is overly harsh. Instead of saying, I should’ve done better, try, I did my best with the resources I had at the time.
✅ Take Imperfect Action
Perfectionism thrives on hesitation. Try submitting something after one draft instead of five, or saying “yes” before you feel fully ready.
✅ Prioritize Rest
Your worth is not tied to your productivity. Taking breaks will not make you less successful—it will make you sustainable.
Final Thought: You don’t have to be perfect to be worthy. Therapy can help you shift perfectionist tendencies and build confidence in yourself, flaws and all. If perfectionism is controlling your life, let’s work on breaking free together.
Schedule a free consultation today to start your journey.