Perfectionism Recovery & Affirmations
Realize That You Don’t Have to be Perfect
Your inner perfectionist is the best friend of your inner critic. Like fear and insecurity, perfectionism fuels the flames of your negative self-talk; working to convince you you’ll never be good enough to achieve your dreams. If you have a tendency to be a perfectionist, you probably understand all too well the cycle of starting something only to give up because it will never be up to your own standards or others won’t approve. That is, if you even get started. Perfectionism can keep us from even trying at all. There are ways you can work to keep your inner perfectionist in check. Perfectionism recovery is possible.
Experiment with Good Enough
This first one may be pretty difficult for you if your inner perfectionist has been running the show for years but hear me out. Try to be satisfied with good enough and avoid shooting for perfect. When you find yourself saying something isn’t worth trying or feel like you just have to edit your work “one more time” to make sure it’s perfect, stop yourself. Breathe and remind yourself that doing something is almost always better than doing nothing. As we’ve touched on before, getting comfortable with discomfort will serve you well toward achieving your goals and making change.
Accept That Perfection is an Illusion
Perfection is simply an unattainable goal. Nothing is ever perfect. You may look at the lives of others and feel that they’re doing everything right. It’s easy to compare – especially in the days of Instagram stories and airbrushing. However, you’re only seeing part of the picture. Everyone has their own problems and insecurities. Similarly, you might get stuck in the vicious cycle of never thinking your work or you are finished. You may go over things with a fine-tooth comb, looking for mistakes to fix. But how will you ever know when the time is right? When will things be ready? The fact is perfection is an illusion. It’s unattainable, and you’ll only find yourself stuck if you wait for everything to be perfect.
Measure Yourself by Your Own Performance
Another way to work on your perfectionist recovery is to focus only on improving yourself. Your inner perfectionist wants to excel, so go ahead and let it. Except this time, you’re only measuring your current performance by your own past work. Striving to do better than you did the last time will still give you a rush of feel-good chemicals and a feeling of excitement, but you won’t get stuck on being perfect. Just better than last time.
Create and Repeat Positive Affirmations to Calm Inner Perfectionist
Have you heard of the power of positive affirmations and mantras? The concept is simple but powerful. An affirmation is a positive statement meant to bring about beneficial results. Some people use them to manifest their desires. Others create affirmations as a way of improving their confidence and outlook on life. These statements are short, concise, positive, and focus on the present. Examples include, “I am strong and capable.”, “Good fortune comes my way.”, and, “I radiate positivity everywhere I go.” In this case to battle your inner perfectionist you may want to try things like, “I am enough just as I am”, “Progress not perfection” or “My best effort is all that is needed at the moment.” The point of such affirmations is to repeat them regularly in order to make them a reality. Positive affirmations have been shown to work in the following ways.
· Affirmations and Mantras Reduce Negativity
When you’re focused on the repetition of good thoughts, it’s hard for negativity to sneak in. That’s why it’s important to make repeating your affirmations a habit. Many people make reading and speaking daily affirmations a morning practice. This helps them to start the day on a positive note.
· Affirmations and Mantras Bring Perspective
As we’ve learned, it’s far easier to think negatively than to remember your strengths. This is especially true if you’ve spent a lifetime listening to your inner critic. When you introduce positive affirmations into your life on a daily basis, you add balance to your negative inclinations. Such positivity can eventually cancel out the critical messages and adds a more realistic perspective to your view. Before long, you’ll start to internalize and believe these new messages.
· Affirmations and Mantras Improve Mood
You’ll start to see a change for the better in your mood and overall outlook as you make a practice of reciting your affirmations. As these positive words begin to seep into your subconscious and create new neural pathways within your brain, you’ll simply feel better. Bombarding yourself with positive thoughts on a daily basis lets you start to actually believe positive things can happen.
· Affirmations and Mantras Lead to Better Relationships
As your mood and confidence improve, you might just find your relationships improve. Being positive is contagious. People will want to spend more time around you when you demonstrate an optimistic view. In addition, you’ll find yourself becoming more emotionally stable as you absorb these positive messages over time. Relating to others is easier.
Try adding affirmations into your own routine, and you’ll likely see things change for the better. But above all let your inner perfectionist go.
Leave us a comment below about how you manage your inner perfectionist. We’d love to hear from you!
P.S. You may also be interested in our popular ebook, Hush Now – Quiet Your Inner Critic, and the accompanying Workbook available on Sale now in our Digital download section or in our YouTube Channel.
