Perfectionism and Anxiety: How to Break the Cycle.

Perfectionism and anxiety may link with each other, and perfectionists might have anxiety and anxiety disorders more often. Practicing mindfulness and other strategies can be vital in managing your expectations.

Anxiety and perfectionism might connect for some people.

Perfectionism is a personality trait involving unrealistically high expectations and standards. While some perfectionism may lead a person to excel, a fear of failure typically motivates it. Extreme perfectionism can cause harm.

Anxiety is an emotion accompanied by thoughts of worry, stress, and physical changes such as increased heart rate or blood pressure. Anxiety often arises in response to a perceived future threat or fear. If anxiety starts interfering with your daily activities, it could be a sign of a severe anxiety disorder.

Perfection and anxiety may link together, as a perfectionist may often have anxiety about meeting their high expectations. But it’s a complicated relationship.

Is being a perfectionist a symptom of anxiety?

Being a perfectionist can be a symptom of anxiety, but the relationship is a little more intertwined. Perfectionism can lead to anxiety, and anxiety can lead to perfectionism. The constant effort to meet your high standards can increase the anxiety you may have.

Anxiety symptoms vary from person to person, but some general symptoms of anxiety are:

• difficulty concentrating
• racing thoughts
• sleep issues
• appetite changes
• restlessness
• rapid breathing or heart rate
• obsessions about certain things (obsessive-compulsive disorder)
• feelings of panic or dread

What is the perfectionism-anxiety cycle?

The perfectionism-anxiety cycle can feel like an endless loop of lowered self-esteem and setting higher goals.

1. You may first set unattainable goals.
2. Then, you might not meet those goals because they’re so unrealistic.
3. The pressure to achieve perfection may also lead to procrastination and reduced effectiveness.
4. You may have lowered self-esteem due to self-criticism, which can lead to anxiety and depression.
5. You might revise your goals to increase your effort and restart the cycle.

A perfectionist may use this cycle to deal with relationships and, without knowing, even set such high standards for others. This continued perfectionism-anxiety cycle can result in difficulty with interpersonal relationships and unmet goals.

How do you treat anxiety and perfectionism together?

Many ways can help you deal with anxiety and perfectionistic thinking and hopefully break the perfectionism-anxiety cycle.

If perfectionism and anxiety interfere with your daily activities, getting help from a trained professional can always be a good idea. Every person and situation is different, so experiment with methods that may suit your needs.

• Practice imperfection: Try activities that aren’t goal-oriented, such as practicing a sport or working on an art project without needing to be good at it. This practice may make you feel a little uncomfortable, but you might see that nothing can go wrong during the experience.
• Be mindful: Being aware of how you react to your traits and expectations can help you stay in the moment and reduce the effect of perfectionism on social anxiety.
• Practice compromise: Setting more realistic standards for yourself can help you find a middle ground in all-or-none thinking.
• Exposure therapy: Facing your uncertainty and fears directly, in small doses, and with a trained therapist, can help you set more attainable goals and manage imperfection.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy: This type of psychotherapy can help you identify negative thought patterns and develop better coping strategies. It may also help you understand and change your response to situational triggers.
• Get help: A trained therapist can help identify your specific concerns and offer unbiased strategies for improvement. If you don’t know a therapist in your area, ask your primary healthcare professional.

Perfectionism and other disorders

Perfectionism doesn’t just connect with anxiety. A 2022 study found that perfectionism seemed linked with many mental health conditions, including:

• social anxiety
• eating disorders
• depression
• anxiety disorders
• obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
• suicidal impulses

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Takeaway

Perfectionism and anxiety can have a cyclical relationship. Feeling the need to be perfect can lead to anxiety, and having anxiety about something may lead to feeling the need to be perfect.

Practicing mindfulness can be an effective coping strategy for recognizing your triggers and learning when to change your patterns. Working with a mental health professional can offer guidance on improving your situation.