Introduction

Is it common for people to tell you “You’re such a perfectionist” or “You have to do things perfectly”?

While it is good to strive for high standards, it can also be upsetting when perfectionism becomes unhelpful. For example, do you need to perfect tasks and attend to details such that it takes a much longer time to finish a task without adding great value to the final outcome?

This can be stressful and a lot of time is spent worrying about one’s ability to do well, be it in studies, sports, leisure, appearance or social situations. This type of unhelpful perfectionism can result in self-criticism, low self-esteem, poor performance, stress, anxiety and low mood.