Life feels like a full-time juggling act.
You're balancing meetings,
School runs and everything in between,
All while that little voice in your head whispers that you could be doing it better.
You're not the only one who feels like that.
I used to feel like that and many of the women I speak to,
Incredible women like you,
Carry the weight of perfectionism every single day,
Sometimes unknowingly.
Trying to make everything perfect can be why life feels overwhelming at times.
However,
The answer is not to lower your standards.
That's not going to make you feel any better.
You simply need some tools to help you reset when perfectionism starts to take over.
1.
Interrupt the inner critic.
Perfectionism thrives on that relentless inner chatter telling you you're not good enough.
The moment you hear it,
Call it out.
Ask yourself,
Would I speak to my best friend like this?
If the answer's no,
Then it's time to change the script.
As Brené Brown reminds us,
Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best.
Perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect,
Look perfect and act perfect,
We can minimize or avoid the pain of blame,
Judgment and shame.
That inner critic loses its grip the second you shine a light on it.
2.
Shrink the task.
We are often trying to do everything all at once and at an Olympic level.
That's when overwhelm sets in.
Instead,
Break the task down.
Write the next two steps only,
Then act on them,
One at a time.
By shrinking the mountain into molehills,
You are making the task ahead of you doable and you're creating momentum.
It's that momentum that will fuel you to continue.
3.
Remember,
Done beats perfect.
How many times have you delayed sending that email or finishing that project because it wasn't ready?
Perfectionism delays progress.
Progress fuels confidence.
Replace the waiting game with action and you'll find that you will progress.
4.
Ask for help.
Perfectionists often carry the world on their shoulders,
Thinking it's a weakness to lean on others.
In reality,
Asking for help can be your best option.
Delegating tasks or asking for support from a partner,
Colleague or friend creates space for you to breathe.
And breathing space is what boosts your self-esteem and will give you clarity to see what you cannot see.
5.
Anchor back to your values.
When you're spinning in the cycle of overwhelm,
Perfectionism tricks you into chasing things that don't matter.
Pause and ask,
Does this align with my values or am I just trying to prove something?
Anchoring yourself back to what matters most gives you perspective,
Peace and the confidence to choose wisely.
You don't need to be flawless to be worthy.
You don't need to tick all the boxes to be enough.
You simply need strategies that keep you grounded when perfectionism pulls you off course.
I encourage you,
Now that you have five simple fixes,
To remember these when perfectionism dares to take you away from where you are,
Who you are and what you will do next.
Let me know how it goes.
