Cognitive behavioural therapy for perfectionism
It’s a common perception that having a determination for perfection is a positive character trait that will maximise a person’s chances of happiness and success.
But if someone is constantly chasing unrealistic ideals of perfection, it can have a detrimental effect on their mental health and lead to anxiety, depression and burnout.
The pursuit of perfection can be both exhausting and stressful, with the fear of being judged negatively adding to the spiral of self-defeating thoughts. These feelings can have serious consequences on the well-being and mental health of a perfectionist.
Sufferers could also experience relationship problems due to having idealistically high levels of expectation of their partner or spouse. Their career could also be affected, as the individual could constantly compare their performance to that of their co-workers and work so hard to achieve perfection that they experience burnout.
If the struggle for perfection is affecting a person’s everyday life and activities, it may be time for them to seek help to address their flawed beliefs and work at the root of issue to gain much healthier perspectives on perfectionism.
How can CBT help?
Sufferers of perfectionism may be more reluctant to accept help, as they will feel this could expose their weaknesses and make them feel they are being judged as imperfect. But if the person’s issues are causing them distress on a daily basis, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective way to manage and treat symptoms, so it important to seek help.
A cognitive behavioural counsellor is trained to help clients discover the root causes of their perfectionism ideals. They offer guidance to shift the emphasis away from the unrealistic goals that the client has set themselves.
CBT can illustrate that perfection should not be the aim for everything the client undertakes in life. By using cognitive talking therapies to concentrate on negative beliefs a CBT therapist can give clients a more realistic view of their goals to reach a more positive outcome.
Using CBT to minimise the time and effort the person expends on chasing unattainable goals, the client can start to invest time into non-performance related goals to improve their self-esteem and gradually reduce the tension that striving for perfection can bring.
Letting go and stepping back from perfectionism can take a person on a difficult journey, and it’s important to connect with an empathetic and supportive counsellor who can both reduce the negative beliefs and increase cognitive flexibility to better cope with their emotions and feelings.
Jamie Dempsey is accredited as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist with the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychologies (BABCP). Jamie provides evidence-based CBT talking therapies to help his clients understand their perfectionism related issues and to develop techniques to change their thinking patterns to help them live life to the fullest.
