Therapy for Perfectionism
Straight talking therapy for high achievers
Expert Private CBT Therapy Cheshire & Online
Therapy for Perfectionism
Perfectionism Therapy can help you to:
Get to the root of your Perfectionism
Reduce self-criticism and build self-compassion
Overcome fear of failure
Improve productivity and overcome procrastination
Build confidence
Tackle associated problems such as Imposter Syndrome, People pleasing and Burnout
Let’s get started!
Therapy for Perfectionism
Perfectionism is driven by fear, not desire.
Healthy high standards are driven by following goals towards what we want. Perfectionism, on the other hand is driven by fear, and the consequences of perfectionism pull us away from happiness.
Fear of failure, fear of mistakes, fear of not being good enough, fear of negative judgement or criticism and fear of letting other’s down. It’s more about what we are trying to avoid, than what we are trying to achieve. Why is why no matter what you do, it never feels good enough, and you never get to enjoy the fruits of your labour.
For those in high pressure jobs or industries, perfectionism is much more likely to get out of hand and start to rack up significant consequences. Therapy for Perfectionism can help break your cycle and set you free from fear.
I specialise in helping Business Owners, Senior Execs & those in demanding jobs. Combining my Straight-Talking with Business Therapy to get results.
What is Perfectionism?
Interestingly, lots of clients I work with on perfectionism don’t consider themselves a perfectionist – because they don’t think they are good enough to be one – ironic right?
But perfectionism isn’t about being perfect, it’s about the relentless pursuit of perfection, aka the unattainable. It’s setting expectations of yourself that are completely out of reach, or that are only achievable with massive consequences.
Perfectionism can feel like a constant inner battle. No matter how hard you try, it never feels ‘good enough’. The fear of failure, self-criticism, and endless pressure to prove yourself can leave you feeling exhausted and stuck.
Signs of Perfectionism
10 Common signs of perfectionism include:
- Intense fear of failure
- Continual self-doubt
- Excessive self-criticism
- Difficulty overlooking small mistakes
- Viewing mistakes as incompetence
- Difficulty completing tasks due to wanting to keep tweaking
- Never feeling satisfied or proud
- Difficulty delegating
- Taking over tasks that are not your responsibility
- Physical impact of anxiety and exhaustion
Perfectionism at work
Perfectionism can show up in relationships, in our home environment, with hobbies and other areas of our lives. But it often massively shows up at work.
10 Common signs of Perfectionism at work include:
- Difficulty completing tasks
- Excessive time on details
- Procrastination
- Stuck in research/planning mode
- Avoidance of decisions
- Avoiding tasks with uncertainty
- Seeking reassurance
- Not asking for help
- Avoid speaking in meetings
- Not putting yourself forwards for opportunities
Perfectionism as a Business owner
Time is money. And perfectionism is incredibly time consuming. The do-overs, the constant tweaks, the discarded previous versions – all of these cost money. Unless you are charging your customer a high fee that accounts for this, the likelihood is that your perfectionism is screwing your profit margin.
The desire for perfection can also lead to great avoidance – of moving new ideas forwards, of hiring in help as the business grows, of delegation, of putting you/your product out to public, and much more. Perfectionism can hold your business back massively.
Here at Hannah Paskin Therapy, I specialise in Therapy for Business Owners, and tackle common High-Functioning Anxiety problems such as Perfectionism, People pleasing, Imposter Syndrome, Burnout and more.
Ready to start Therapy for Business Owners?
What causes Perfectionism?
Perfectionism is something that develops over time, influenced by early life experiences, parenting approaches, education environment and personality traits.
- High expectations from parents – If your parents were always wanting you to do better, comparing you to other children in the family or the school, and emphasised the importance of doing well.
- Workaholic parents – If you grew up witnessing parents working without limits, and seeing them disregard their needs for those of an employer or business
- Performance based praise – If you received positive attention and additional love based upon performance, whether academically in sport or in early jobs
- Criticism – If you experienced criticism that was misplaced, blamed negatively for your results, or in some way were made to feel as if you weren’t good enough
- Lack of attention – If there was an absence of love and attention growing up, trying harder in an attempt to achieve success and please others
- Competitive environment – If there was early exposure to high competitive environments with lots of comparison, e.g. with sports or spelling competitions etc
The vicious cycle of perfectionism
- Setting and chasing impossible standards
- Working excessively towards this aim, disregarding work hours and with excessive focus on minute details
- Feeling dissatisfied despite all efforts, it never feels good enough
- Continually moving the goalpost, dismissing success, and continuing to push
- Experiencing exhaustion burnout, stress, and anxiety resulting in procrastination, mismanagement of time and mistakes
- Feel even worse so push even harder
Anxiety and fear hinder performance and productivity. Perfectionism creates Anxiety. Therefore Perfectionism can create the very thing you fear – mistakes. Therapy for Perfectionism works to break this cycle, and teaches you a new way to move forwards without fear or exhaustion.
The Hidden problems of perfectionism
Many perfectionists believe they have succeeded because of their perfectionism, that it’s been helpful. I disagree. Because I guarantee you your education and work life would have been much easier without the paralysing fear of failure, without the high levels of stress, and without the excessive efforts trying to achieve the impossible. You succeeded in spite of your unhealthy perfectionism, not because of it.
Perfectionists also receive lots of praise and appreciation for the high standards they achieve. In work reviews you’ll likely have repeatedly got ‘exceeds expectations’. But the problem is that perfectionists hide the reality and the costs of this – routinely work late, taking on more duties than is feasible, cancelling personal plans to keep perfect something, tasks taking much longer than they should, and so much more. But because you already feel like a failure, you hide this reality from others at work.
Ready to Overcome Perfectionism?
Overcome Perfectionism with Private CBT Therapy
Therapy for Perfectionism will help you understand how it developed, recognise the impact it is having on your life, learn proven strategies to achieve healthier attitudes and beliefs and most importantly discover how to implement changes to get your perfectionism under control.
CBT Therapy is based upon logic and common sense, it teaches scientifically proven ways to improve your mindset. It can help you to break away from lifelong unhelpful habits, and find a new way forwards.
Recovering Perfectionist
My unique approach
I specialise in Therapy for Business Owners and Anxious High Achievers, combining my Straight-Talking approach with Business Therapy in a unique way that gets result.
You don’t want fluff, you don’t want someone who just sits and listens, you want therapy that gets results. I’m active in my therapy sessions. You’ll get between session tasks to complete, you’ll get analogies for psychological concepts, you’ll gain knowledge and learn strategies.
Here at Hannah Paskin Therapy, I am focused on change – after all if nothing changes, nothing changes. You’re paying me for my expertise, not to be your friend (although I am lovely too of course).
Ready to invest?
Next steps
Discovery Call
If you have questions or want a quick chat, book your free 15-minute discovery phone call
Flexible therapy
You can book the number of sessions you want, when you want, and with the frequency you want. Want intensive sessions twice a week? No problem. Want monthly sessions longer term? No problem. You choose what you want. My live booking system works on a 1st come 1st served system. Online CBT and Therapy in Cheshire sessions available in Middlewich.
Long-Term Confidence
By the end of therapy with me, you’ll have a practical and personalised blueprint to keep you on track and prevent future relapse.
Time to Overcome Perfectionism & Break free from Fear of Failure
