EP 435: Perfectionism: What it is, What it Does, And how to Overcome it.

Published: Feb. 1, 2021, 10:22 p.m.

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Today\\u2019s topic comes by request from one of my amazing Patrons! If you would like to become a Patron of the show and support me and my work, you can sign up here:

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https://www.patreon.com/artburns

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What my Patron had asked me to cover today is the very important topic of perfectionism.

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I say it\\u2019s an important topic because I think a vast number of the 77% of American adults suffering from stress are also suffering from perfectionism.

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In fact, I think it\\u2019s quite accurate to say that perfectionism causes the stress directly!!!

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Perfectionism, in its simplest definition, is the idea that something must be perfect or it is simply not worth even trying.

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It\\u2019s an all or nothing proposition, as I explain in today\\u2019s episode:

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The problem arises from the fact that nobody in the entire world is truly perfect. We all have flaws and we all make mistakes. A lot of them, actually.

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And if we strive for perfection, then we wind up feeling as though we\\u2019ve failed very often.

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This can give us a very unhealthy fear of failure.

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As I say all the time, when we engage in fear, our body responds with the stress response.

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At that point, we open ourselves up to a world of potential problems.

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Simply put, the very notion of perfectionism obstructs our ability to be happy.

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The good news is that no matter how perfectionist you feel you are; no matter how this perfectionism causes anxiety, depression, or stress in your body, there is a very simple solution that is super fun and feels really good:

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The solution to perfectionism is Self-Compassion.

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Would you like to learn how to neutralize your perfectionism with Self-Compassion?

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