Therapy For Perfectionism
and Workaholism
Are You A Workaholic Who Constantly Strives For Perfection?
Do you struggle with anxiety or a fear of failure? Are you convinced that you don’t measure up? Is the need to be successful and productive keeping you from finding down time or doing things for yourself?
You may worry that you’ll be viewed as lazy and inadequate when you’re not striving toward a specific goal. You may struggle with obsessive thinking patterns and ruminations, such as all-or-nothing thinking. Perhaps you’ve wondered if your symptoms—such as unwanted thoughts and fear-based behaviors—align with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Because you have a difficult time relaxing, you probably miss out on having a social life or doing things that were once fun. Maybe you’re often too distracted to engage and maintain meaningful connections with others because you’re anxious and preoccupied with what they think of you or you’re going over everything on your to-do list.
Conditions including anxiety, OCD, and other mental health hurdles related to perfectionism often result in physical symptoms. You may find that because you can never turn off your brain, you struggle to get a good night’s sleep or maintain a consistent sleep schedule. As a result, you battle with daily fatigue, irritability, and cognitive symptoms impacting your ability to focus. Or perhaps you’ve developed headaches, muscle tension, or autoimmune issues.
You may struggle with body image or experience fluctuations in your weight. The strive toward perfection can often manifest in disordered eating and exercise patterns. Whether you restrict, purge, or eat past the point of being full, you may find that your relationship with food is imbalanced and leads to health problems.
Symptoms Of Anxiety Often Correlate With Workaholism or Perfectionistic Thinking
Living with anxiety symptoms can make every day feel overwhelming. Those who struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, and symptoms of OCD often dive into their work to stay busy and maintain a sense of productivity.
If you feel guilty when you aren’t constantly on the move or doing something “worthwhile,” then you may fill up your days with never-ending obligations. Perhaps you’ve been known to be a workaholic or have a habit of refusing help from others. You may complain about always being busy when in truth you might not know what to do with yourself without the pressure of deadlines. You might not realize that you’re keeping a packed schedule so that you don’t have to face painful thoughts and emotions.
Living under constant stress and commotion is not your only option. With therapy for perfectionism and workaholism, you can let go of anxiety and begin to recognize your self-worth.
Many of Us Are Conditioned To Strive Toward Perfection From A Young Age
Fear of inadequacy is established early in life. As high achievers, we have always felt the need to excel academically, socially, and professionally. Due to the unrealistic standards placed on us, we often compete with actors, models, and social influencers who make their appearances a full-time job. This adds to the pressure of “having it all,” which usually translates to working overtime and being regularly dissatisfied with life and with ourselves.
Because perfectionists expect to be in control of everything, we tend to avoid things we can’t control—things that are abstract and confusing, such as our inner emotional universe. Instead of facing our core issues and dealing with our emotions effectively, we typically focus on concrete things we can accomplish.
On the surface, this can be very beneficial. However, these behaviors eventually take their toll, resulting in eating disorders, workaholism, OCD, depression, substance abuse and stress-related health problems. In fact, recent studies have shown that at least five to eight percent of the US population are addicted to work.
Often, being a workaholic is seen as a positive trait and encouraged by society. You may not even consider it a problem. Not tuning into your emotions may help you feel strong and in control, but the truth is that numbness results in emptiness and an inability to enjoy life. There is strength in the vulnerability it takes to recognize and deal with your feelings, to share them, and to be open to change.
In therapy, you can learn to truly embrace your emotions instead of putting on the mask of perfectionism.
Therapy Gives You A Chance To Overcome Anxiety Related To Perfectionism And Workaholism
Therapy for perfectionism and workaholism begins with a typical intake session during which we will discuss your symptoms, history, and goals for treatment. From there, you will learn more about your triggers and skills for coping. By collaborating on solutions, you can gain a sense of control while benefiting from an individualized, evidence-based treatment approach that honors your unique strengths.
I draw from elements of Cognitive Behavioral and Dialectical Behavior Therapies (CBT and DBT) to help you adjust your relationship with the thoughts and behaviors that drive your perfectionism. And because trauma is so often at the core of perfectionism and workaholism, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) gives you an opportunity to overcome obsessive thinking associated with disruptive memories and fears.
Throughout this process, you’ll develop essential self-awareness and understand where your behaviors originated. As you practice relaxing and learning to be present in each moment, you’ll see that deep and long-term change can take place.
A therapist can teach you to welcome your emotions—instead of avoiding them—so that you can develop more satisfying relationships with yourself and others. Therapy for perfectionism and workaholism is the place for you to cultivate self-compassion and a more balanced life.
Maybe You’re Curious About Therapy For Perfectionism And Workaholism, But You’re Not Sure…
Pushing myself to do my best keeps me motivated—I don’t want to lose that and become complacent.
The goal of counseling is not to get you to stop caring; that would only introduce a new set of problems! Instead, therapy helps you see that issues of perfectionism and workaholism derive from a lack of balance, which causes symptoms of depression, anxiety, and burnout.
Learning how to achieve a healthy balance will improve your ability to function in many areas of your life. Therapy is an opportunity to understand that perfectionism is not a healthy goal and that you are adequate—which will help you accomplish more in the long run.
I don’t want to spend time thinking about my feelings. Whenever I’m not busy doing something productive, I just feel worse.
If you tend to avoid your emotions, there may be underlying issues that counseling can help you address.
Working to distract yourself from your true feelings will only get you so far. If you get to the point of burnout or illness, your functioning and productivity will suffer and if it gets bad enough, you may have to take time off work to address your symptoms. If at all possible, I definitely recommend addressing these issues before that happens.
Therapy gives you a chance to gain the skills needed to overcome issues of perfectionism and workaholism now so that you don’t experience worse problems down the line later.
Nothing you tell me in therapy will convince me to let go of my perfectionism—I’ve felt inadequate my entire life, and nothing has ever helped.
If you’re determined to hang onto your problems, then you’re right—no one can talk you out of your behaviors. The key question here is whether you’re willing to suspend the core belief that you aren’t good enough for a long enough time to see that there are other ways of living.
If you’re determined to heal, therapy can help.
There Is More To Life Than Perfection
If you’re a workaholic or over-achiever who struggles with anxiety and feelings of inadequacy, therapy can help you locate the core of your perfectionism and workaholism to feel more satisfied and balanced in life.
To schedule a free consultation or learn more about my services, please contact me.
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