Perfectionism oftentimes is labeled as a characteristic and seen in high achieving individuals both inside and outside athletics. However, when taken too far, it can become an unhealthy obsession and lead to a variety of negative consequences. In today’s society, perfectionism can often feel necessary and the only way to get ahead. Whether it be in your education, career, social life or anywhere else you could think of. It feels like the only way to guarantee success. However, as many people know first-hand, allowing this to play out all the time isn’t healthy and can lead to performance issues, anxiety and depression. Speaking on this issue as someone who consistently deals with this, acknowledges its presence, yet struggles. Just know you’re not alone if you deal with this as well.
What is Perfectionism?
The dictionary defines perfectionism as, “a tendency to see most things as either ‘black or white’, ‘all or nothing’, or ‘good or bad’, as if there are no shades of gray between these extremes.” When someone is overly perfectionistic, they set an extremely high standard for themselves and everything they do. They expect the best of themselves in every situation and become very self-critical when they make a mistake. Perfectionism is not a bad thing, but when it affects your daily life in a negative fashion, it could be a sign that it’s time to not necessarily cut back on the expectations, but to re-frame them in a more realistic way. Athletes must live up to high standards and be in top physical and mental condition to perform at their best in sports, regardless of their level. Sport experts increasingly understand the value of mental preparation for enhancing performance and preserving mental health. If you keep up with recent Olympic news or sports news in general, you might recall that Simone Biles withdrew from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games finals in order to concentrate on her mental health. Athletes, and I feel like the general public are becoming more comfortable with sharing struggles around mental health issues.
Convergence of Anxiety and Performance
Perfectionism is often associated with both high achievement and motivation. But, it can also be linked to anxiety. Depending on the person, perfectionism could also be driven by the anxiety itself. If you set your expectations extremely high and are equally self-critical, then the fear of falling short could contribute to this. In fact, the convergence of perfectionism and anxiety is so strong that in some cases the two could be misdiagnosed for each other. Although, it’s important to note that having perfectionism does not mean you have anxiety or vice versa. However, the two are closely linked and could be hindering your overall performance.
Competitive anxiety is one of the most frequently targeted mental health issues in athletes' mental screening and preparation. Competitive anxiety is a negatively valenced emotional state that, if not appropriately controlled, could drastically reduce performance under pressure. Although anxiety is frequently felt as an unpleasant emotional state, it is not always unhelpful or connected to subpar performance (1). Studies on the connection between anxiety and sport performance have led to the development of several theoretical theories. The most widely accepted explanation comes from the Martens et al. textbook (2) Competitive Anxiety in Sport (1990). There are three main components of competitive anxiety that are distinguished in this multidimensional anxiety model: cognitive anxiety, physical anxiety, and self-confidence.
Convergence of Anxiety and Performance with Depression
The convergence of perfectionism and anxiety could also be linked to depression. Perfectionism is like a double-edged sword. While it can motivate you to achieve success, it can also lead to feelings of low self-esteem when it’s taken too far. It only makes sense you won’t be overjoyed when your expectations for a certain event are not met. It’s interesting as well that that perfectionistic trait might not always be present with all aspects of life. More than likely you aren’t this way about ALL things. It usually surrounds events and tasks you place very high value on. Especially those you might associate your own “person” or “identity” with. Those that you feel define you as a person. Without them, you are nothing. It would only seem logical, when you don’t meet those standards, you’re likely to experience feelings of disappointment, extreme shame about yourself which can often lead to feelings of depression. While perfectionism may be a healthy thing when it’s tempered with self-compassion, it starts to become problematic when it’s taken too far. When you’re overly perfectionistic, you can certainly be holding yourself back from success. Individuals who identify as having this characteristic or trait about themselves often struggle with decision-making as well and can be very dissatisfied with the outcome of their work. They’re likely to spend a ton of time fixing things that aren’t broken and aren’t satisfied until it’s “just right”.
How to Break Free
If perfectionism is negatively affecting your life, there are a few things you can do to break free from the drive. To start, you should understand that striving for perfection isn’t realistic. No one is perfect, and expecting this is just a recipe for disaster. To help your brain out a little here, it’s important to alter your mindset and begin to instill some form of behavior change. Instead of framing tasks as goals, ending in either accomplishment or failure, you should look at it as a lifelong process of growing. To break free from perfectionism, you need to accept the fact that mistakes are inevitable and that taking risks is essential to achieving success. Finally, you need to learn how to accept yourself for who you are. Instead of focusing on being perfect, you should focus on being the best version of yourself. It’s important I say here: This is a great strategy to shoot for when wanting to reduce this intense frame of mind someone might have. It’s also something I’m currently working on as well. I emphasize that. Patterns of thinking don’t change overnight. It really takes time.
The advantages of cognitive behavior therapies (CBTs) in sport psychology, such as rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) (3), have received more attention recently (4). Although this is a relatively young area of research, the body of knowledge and professional practice in this field is expanding (5). The main focus of the theoretical framework supporting REBT is the distinction between irrational (rigid, extreme, illogical) and rational (flexible, non-extreme) ideas.
Wrapping up
Perfectionism can be a good thing if it motivates you to achieve and excel. However, when it’s taken too far, it can lead to feelings of anxiety and even depression. Perfectionism is often linked to high achievement in any sector of the working world. If you set unrealistic expectations for yourself and are very self-critical, the fear of falling short could contribute to these negative feelings.