Perfectionism, though from the outside may disguise itself as “an overly productive, successful individual”, can have a detrimental impact on our self-esteem, mental health, day to day life, careers, and relationships.

At ICW, we value seeing and celebrating all parts of you, even the seemingly messy, disorganized, and “less than perfect” parts. Perfectionism can creep into our lives through a variety of things, some may include traumatic experiences, stress, disappointment in relationships, your upbringing, poor self-esteem, or self-developed values and expectations. Our counselors have extensive experience both personally and professionally navigating the impacts of perfectionism with their clients and are dedicated to exploring the root cause of your perfectionism, and helping you live a more balanced, peaceful, and fulfilling life.

In general, perfectionists may find that they experience all or some of the following:

-Over concern with flawlessness and perfection in several areas of life

-Procrastination due to worry of not being able to do it perfectly or doubting one’s abilities all together

-Daily urges to fill one’s day with as much productivity as possible, and feeling like a failure if they don’t

-Insisting on doing things independently, to ensure success and to avoid relying on others or others falling short

-Have high expectations for yourself

-Being overly self-critical

-Being over concerned with what others think about them and their actions

-Being sensitive to feedback from others, and oftentimes feeling destroyed after critical feedback

-Struggling to relax and find peace and stillness

-Becoming controlling over minor details in relationships, professional and career

-Constantly seeking the feeling of being in control

-Having low self-esteem hidden underneath a pressure to preform and always be “on” and successful

If you identify with any of the above and would like to explore therapy options, please reach out to us. We are here to support you and help you on your journey of growth and self-acceptance, of all your parts.