Perfectionism
The Standard You Set Keeps Moving
You hit the goal…then the goal shifts.
You succeeded. And it wasn’t enough.
The problem isn’t motivation. You’ve got that in spades.
The problem is you live in a pressure cooker, and you don’t know how to stop.
From the outside, you look competent.
From the inside, it’s a constant audit: what went wrong, what fell short, what you should have done differently.
You reach an accomplishment, and before you can take it in, you’re already measuring the gap.
What That Pressure Costs You
It’s possible to be very good at your work and still feel like you’re failing at it.
Perfectionism is that exact experience: high performance on paper, chronic self-criticism underneath.
The anxiety stems from what you believe will happen if the quality slips.
That belief keeps you miserable. You never measure up, and you can never appreciate a job well done.
How We Help You Resolve Perfectionism
We don’t ask you to lower your standards. We help you understand where those standards came from, and what they’re protecting.
In sessions, we look at the loop running in the background: do well, approval; fall short, criticism.
(And the fact that it’s always possible to fall short.)
When you can see that loop clearly, it loses some of its grip.
We also help you develop expectations that reflect who you are, not who you’re afraid of becoming if you stop pushing.
A Different Relationship With Yourself
After therapy working on perfectionism, you’ll notice some important changes.
You don’t stop caring about your work. But you stop needing the work to tell you whether you’re worth caring about.
Your self-worth no longer depends on the last thing you did and whether it was done according to an impossible standard.
You reach a point where ambition and ease can coexist.
That’s the shift we’re working toward.
Let’s Start Here
You don’t have to have it all figured out or get it right to begin.
You can show up as you are – we’ll talk through what’s been going on and how we can support you.
We’re here to walk alongside you as you take that first step.
Reach out for a free consultation.
Call us today: (646) 389-3671
Or reach us by email: bookings@innercompassnyc.com