In a recent interview with Karen Asp and published by Centennial Media, "The Highest Bar: If striving for perfection is making you miserable, it's time to take action," Andrea discusses perfectionism from a clinical, mental health perspective.
Andrea is quoted in these excerpts from The Science of Personality Magazine article:
You might assume that perfectionism simply means striving to be perfect. But it’s more complex than that. “It’s an obsessive preoccupation with performance, achievement and
appearance,” says Andrea Anderson Polk, LPC, CPC, a licensed professional counselor in Washington, D.C., and author of The Cuckoo Syndrome. “People with perfectionism look to people and work for approval and validation; their worth and value are tied to what they do versus who they are.”
Shame may even be at the root of perfectionism. “Shame seems like a strong word, but people who struggle with perfectionism often have deep-seated feelings of low self-esteem, inadequacy and inferiority that they’re unconsciously trying to avoid,” Polk says. Shame might stem from difficult childhood critic who’s constantly picking at you, saying things like, “You’re not good enough.”
“Perfectionism turns your passions into obsessions, which takes the joy out of them,” Polk says.
“Because perfectionists want to do things perfectly and are afraid of failing, they may put off doing something they really enjoy or want to achieve,” Polk says.
“People who struggle with perfectionism are driven by internal pressures such as unreasonable and unrealistically high expectations as well as extremely high ideals and standards, and often their happiness is dependent upon their success and achievements,” Polk says, adding that this results in a lack of self-compassion and being self-critical. Rather than measuring your success by outcomes like social media followers and podcast ratings, instead think about how you’re helping people and making a real difference in their lives.
Read the article below!
If the conversation resonates within you and you would like to heal from perfectionism, work with Andrea one-on-one to dive deeper into your struggles and stuck points. Her greatest joy is to help people face the deepest truths of their lives so they can be healed and happy.
Chapter 7, The Perfectionism Cuckoo: When Passions become Obsessions, will provide you with practical steps to overcoming perfectionism as well as identifying the root cause.
Order Andrea’s new book, The Cuckoo Syndrome, today!
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