To appear and do everything perfectly is not easy. That's why perfectionists are more prone to depression than people in general.
Perfectionists are people who always try to appear perfect by setting too high standards for themselves and/or others, which is often accompanied by excessive criticism of themselves and others.
Perfectionism behavior that is also often found in people with melancholic personalities can be seen in both children and adults, both in terms of work, school, and social environment.
Perfectionists are prone to depression
Like a person's personality traits, perfectionistic behavior can be something positive and vice versa. There are two types of perfectionists, namely:
- Perfectionist aadaptive
This is a healthy and purposeful type of perfectionist. Adaptive perfectionists have high standards for themselves and others, they tend to be very conscientious and persistent in the face of adversity. They also don't overreact when they fail or when not all of their goals are met.
Adaptive perfectionists focus on the positive and motivate a person to do something well. This behavior also tends to be associated with good psychological health, as well as high performance, both at school and at work.
- Perfectionist madaptive
This is the kind of perfectionist that is too excessive and unhealthy. This type of perfectionist tends to be too busy and too focused on thinking about past mistakes. In addition, they feel afraid of making mistakes, think too much about other people's expectations of them, compare themselves to others, are afraid of rejection, feel unsure of themselves or even hate themselves, not sure if the efforts they are doing are the right ones.
It is said to be unhealthy, because this behavior tends to cause an overreaction, can cause stress, and lead to depression. For example, so afraid of not being able to live up to other people's expectations, this type of perfectionist may experience intense stomach pains when taking a test or giving a presentation.
Maladaptive perfectionism is often associated with mental health problems, including feeling unhappy and dissatisfied (dysphoria), excessive low self-esteem, eating disorders, insomnia, and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Reduce Attitude Perfectionist
It's not easy to change someone who has perfectionism. But to reduce it, you can start by trying the following steps:
- Don't get your hopes up too high and try to accept other people as they are. Realize that everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and can make mistakes.
- Try not to burn out, and as much as possible avoid feelings of loneliness, anger, or hunger. People with perfectionism will feel more anxious and restless in these conditions.
- Reduce self-deprecation.
- Accept and love yourself as you are.
- Maintain good communication with the closest people.
- Try to set goals that are more realistic and achievable, and focus on one task at a time.
If a perfectionist is already feeling really unhappy to the point of depression, then he needs to get immediate treatment from a psychologist or psychiatrist. Counseling and psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, is expected to be a solution to change the perspective of a perfectionist about goals and achievements.
