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Before learning how to overcome perfectionism in your work, life & relationships, let us ask you an important question.
Who do you think you are: a perfectionist or a high achiever or you don’t know the difference between the two? Just to make it plain & simple, a perfectionist is one who is really high on standards, puts himself aside, and strains every nerve for achieving what’s ‘just perfect’ (flawless).
In doing so, though, the thing he is most focused on reaches the set standard but he himself has to suffer a lot. Not only he robs himself of peace of mind, satisfaction, health, and happiness but also he welcomes some of his close friends of perfectionism- depression, frustration, stress, and anger- into his life.

Conversely, a high achiever does his utmost to yield what’s good enough, giving himself the margin to learn and improve. It is said that perfectionists, in comparison to high achievers, achieve less because of the pressure and stress they bear.
By now you might be thinking if being a perfectionist is so bad then how to overcome perfectionism?
Don’t you fret! The aim of this article is to let you know the best strategies how to overcome perfectionism and achieve satisfaction.
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5 Great Strategies on How to Overcome Perfectionism
Unloading the burden of perfectionism will bring you the happiness and self-esteem you lost long ago. But how?
Considering the given below 5 strategies on how to overcome perfectionism can help you excel in life with lost happiness & self-esteem.
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Process your Perfectionistic Tendencies:
Take a closer view of your perfectionistic attributes. At first, you might take pride in being a perfectionist but once you write down what hurts or disturbs you when showing up as a perfectionist, it makes you aware of the negative consequences. After self-imaging, you’ll be more than happy to give up on this perfectionist approach of yours.
This is the main point where everyone needs to start when learning how to overcome perfectionism. Therefore, this is at the top of our list.
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Get Rid of the “All-or-Nothing” Approach:
Perfectionists tend to think in dichotomies, in either/or terms such as “All or Nothing,” “Success or Failure” etc. But this is unrealistic as certain things such as success and failure go hand in hand. None of us acquires anything smoothly. All of us encounter obstacles in our way that are meant for our growth and development.

You might have come across people, who despite being victorious feel emptiness and hollowness. One of the reasons is their adherence to the perfectionist mindset as their desire to achieve a goal with the highest standards turns them blind to the things that are of supreme importance.
Therefore, to get better and to actually learn how to overcome perfectionism, you need to let go of “All or Nothing” thinking. Go for doing things imprecisely and imperfectly and then see the difference. It will surely bring you the happiness and satisfaction you have been robbed of.
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Allow Yourself to Opt for ‘Good Enough’:

Desiring for perfection, oftentimes, holds you back from starting anything because of the fear of not being to make it perfect. Just think the other way around. Go for ‘good enough.’
Get the word “perfect” out of your head. Try to accept something less than perfect. Realize that anything that is less than perfect doesn’t mean it’s a failure. It gives you an opportunity to learn more and more.
This is one of the best strategies on how to overcome perfectionism as it makes you flexible in your decisions, thoughts, and standards. This very thing will gradually dissolve stress and anxiety you feel in routine.
Effective Techniques on How to Overcome Perfectionism
Until this point in our guide on how to overcome perfectionism in your work, life, and relationships, we have discussed only the most practical and truly effective tips & strategies to deal with the perfectionist tendency.
However, if you do not apply these tips on your life and work to avoid perfectionism, then these tips will not be going to benefit you in any way. Therefore, we thought it necessary to beak you in the mid and serve as a reminder on applying these principles for really get the required results.
Let us now move on to the remaining tips on how to overcome perfectionism in all spheres of our life.
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Do Not Compare Yourself with Others:
If you compare yourself with others, you’ll always feel like you are not good enough. You feel inferior when you see the other person doing a great deal. Life is a race; some are ahead of you and some are behind you. Just don’t compare yourself with others as it would just urge you to think that you are not good enough.
Do not clone yourself in the image of others. Mind it, you have your own identity. Stop comparing yourself with others and you will learn the true secret of how to overcome perfectionism in life.
If you really want to do something, focus on your improvement rather than focusing on what others are doing.
Avoid comparison and if you really want to, then compare yourself with yourself, not with anyone else out there.
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Do Not be Taken in by Your Inner Voice:
For those who are battling with perfectionism, their inner voice tends to give them a jerk with the bombardment of questions- What are you doing? This is really not you? Where are those high standards that once defined you? Your inner critic hysterically laughs at you by referring to you as an imbecile for shedding perfectionistic traits.
Do not pay heed as this narration between you and your inner voice is meant to shatter your confidence and make you feeble.

Speak out loud to your inner voice that you are “good enough” and this is what’s most important.
A great strategy on how to overcome perfectionism is to turn a deaf ear to your inner critical voice.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Question about How to Overcome Perfectionism
How do you get rid of perfectionism?
Make progressively practical individual objectives and desires. Challenge your internal pundit and question negative considerations. Organize your mind and put resources into yourself. Work on saying no more frequently. Recall that time off isn’t time squandered.
What causes perfectionism?
Having a parent who shows perfectionistic conduct or communicates dissatisfaction when their kids’ endeavors don’t bring about flawlessness. Visit dread of dissatisfaction from others or sentiments of instability and insufficiency.
How do you treat perfectionism?
Set sensible, feasible objectives. separate overpowering undertakings into little advances. Concentrate on each movement or errand in turn. recognize that everybody commits errors. perceive that most slip-ups present learning openings.
When perfectionism is a problem?
Self-oriented perfectionism is tricky in light of the fact that it can prompt obsessiveness; wastefulness; and a huge number of genuine psychological well-being issues that influence participation, execution, and resolve.
A Final Word on How to Overcome Perfectionism:
Perfectionism is a drain. A perfectionist grinds himself down to achieve perfection. They will sacrifice health, happiness, life satisfaction, and enjoyment.
Rather than being a perfectionist, be a high achiever who strives for excellence not at any cost or sacrifice. Allow your brain to think of something that is below perfect but is good to go. You can dump perfectionism by changing your outlook and giving yourself room for growth and improvement. Never allow your inner critic to pull the strings.
We hope the 5 strategies mentioned above gained you an insight into how to overcome perfectionism. We expect that these strategies helped you relieve stress and anxiety that come in tandem with perfectionism.
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