5 disadvantages of being a perfectionist

Perfectionism is the attitude that accompanies a person for which he feels the need to improve everything that makes feeling that it is never finished. But how do I know if I am a perfectionist? Well, in general these individuals have a series of traits that can betray them: difficulty to open up to others, fear of failure, being defensive, obsessing about mistakes, etc.

A perfectionist who does not carry this personality trait to the extreme can even obtain advantages, however, when perfectionism finds no limits it can have disastrous results. In .com we explain 5 disadvantages of being a perfectionist .

Work addiction

One of the areas where it is most evident that a person is a perfectionist is at work. At first, wanting to do things as well as possible is a good thing, since it indicates an interest in what we do. Executing the work as well as possible is the best way to get the best results, but it does not necessarily imply obsessing with supervising the work done, or even that of your colleagues, multiple times . One of the disadvantages of being a perfectionist in this area is the loss of time and the discontent of the people who work with you, since they can be annoying.

In this sense, it is important to make a balance between obtaining impeccable results justifies the way in which we achieve them. We should not discredit or discredit our colleagues because we think we should control everything that happens around us.

Health problems

Another disadvantage of perfectionists is linked to the need to do everything right . This need causes the person to suffer from stress and anxiety by undergoing constant pressure to control everything they do so that it comes out perfectly. People are not perfect and, as a consequence, neither are the things we do. However, perfectionists do not accept failure, so they undergo a lot of stress for trying to perform a task as well as possible, reaching a point of excessive self-care. Living with this pressure has long-term consequences, which is why stress and anxiety can damage the health of perfectionists. Some of the symptoms that may appear are fatigue, lack of sleep and pain . Likewise, other health problems to which someone very perfectionist is exposed are digestive disorders, headache, dermatitis, etc.

In this article we explain how to reduce stress naturally.

It damages relationships with others

Although they are not always aware, perfectionists may have problems when it comes to maintaining relationships with others. Their impetus for having everything under control, their impossibility before the option of failing or failing, and the obsession with the mistakes they make have consequences with other people. It does not necessarily imply that they can not have friends, maintain a friendship or have a partner, however, their perfectionist personality can cause some friction. However, it is paradoxical that these subjects tend to look at other individuals in whom they do not see perfection, since their unconscious seeks what they really want to be. This can be a calm person, with a high and safe self-esteem. This happens because the perfectionist person seeks emotional balance through what she does not have.

Harm to oneself

At the end of the day, seeking perfection ends up making you imperfect. It is obvious that there is no one perfect, but when we speak of someone who wants everything to go out of his mouth to the point of obsessing, they will never be satisfied. There comes a point where it is impossible to enjoy anything because you always want to achieve success . It is impossible to feel satisfied with something you have not been able to enjoy because you do not assume that mistakes and imperfections exist. Therefore, another of the disadvantages of perfectionists is to end up feeling frustrated with themselves.

Look at the mistakes and not the right ones

Another disadvantage of perfectionists is the inability to be optimistic . When they perform a task, they ignore 99% of what they did well, and they martilize themselves with the 1% that, without being bad, could have been done better. It's like you get a 9.5 on an exam, and instead of feeling proud, you only think about what you did wrong for not getting those 0.5 points. In addition, it is also possible that a perfectionist does not accept a compliment because he does not consider that he deserves recognition for something that is not perfect for him.