How to Stop Being Perfectionist at Internship
While some people think being perfectionist is a way to get the best result, it’ actually destructive to your self-esteem. You may choose to be perfect in your internship and willing to spend extra time to reach for the best. You may find your inner voice tells you to work harder, but that same voice may tell you that your effort is never good enough. Being perfectionist can be exhausting and draining your energy. Learn to stop being perfectionist with this guide.
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Recognise perfection as a problem
Being perfectionist can easily be confused with having high standards but they're not the same. High standards can be healthy and good for your self-esteem. However, a perfectionist will have standards that are unreasonable and unhealthy. Try to know and understand the difference between perfectionism and high standards.
Do a reality check
When your inner inner self starts to shout critics and self-doubt begins to bubble over reality, make efforts to ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I jumping to negative conclusions?
- Is this situation as bad as I’m making it out to be?
- What’s the worst thing that could happen? How likely is that to happen?
- Will this moment actually matter?
After answer the questions, you may come to realize that you’re building elaborate falsities in your mind while awaiting validation. This reality test simultaneously makes you accountable for your own reassurance and less dependent on others for positive reinforcement.
Create realistic goals and expectations
Recognize that you are already enough and you don't need to be perfect to continue making progress towards your goals. By setting more realistic goals, you'll eliminate excess energy that would go towards attempting the impossible, and have a more balanced lifestyle.
Practice self-acceptance
Perfectionists tend to be critical of others. It’s a defense mechanism that causes you to reject in others what you can’t accept in yourself. This strong feeling comes from idealizing the perfect person and life, and it’s a menacing filter we can’t seem to lift off of reality. To kick this habit, we must be kind to ourselves. Tell yourself what you love about yourself. Tell yoruself that you’re good enough. Repeat it and believe.
Don’t hold others in your standard
When everything you do is perfect, it's easy to fall into the trap of expecting others to execute at that same level. Unfortunately, the rest of the world isn't like you. The sooner you can adjust your expectations, the more quickly you'll get rid of your headache.
Think of mistakes as lessons
Perfectionism can come with a fear of failure, which gets in the way of moving forwards. Allow yourself to make mistakes and else yourself the opportunity to learn and grow.