Everyone feels pressured from time to time, especially if you’re a perfectionist like myself. Sometimes, it’s the pressure that you place on yourself, expecting the best of yourself and your abilities. Making overcoming perfectionism a mammoth task.

Other times, it’s external pressures that lead you to feel anxious and stressed out. If you feel like you are under pressure all the time, it might be time to look at whether there are any external forces compounding your inner battle with your own self-doubt. 😔

You see, feeling pressured becomes a vicious cycle: anything that stresses you out or causes you anxiety feeds into your insecurities, which makes you feel even more anxious and insecure about everything. Everything needs to be “perfect”.

So not only are you feeling pressure from outside factors but also from within yourself. Even if a certain situation doesn’t seem threatening, it can build up over time and have an unhealthy effect on how you handle things.

Eeeeek! 😬

Here are 6 ways to stop feeling pressured so that you can help you with overcoming perfectionism. 👇

Recognise The Signs Of Perfectionism

Before you can consciously try to overcome perfectionism, you have to recognizse it in the first place.

Here are a few red flags to watch out for:

💭 You feel anxious when you’re around certain people or in certain situations.

💭 You’re always analyzing your own life.

💭 You have a hard time relaxing.

💭 You’re always trying to make something the absolute best it possibly could be – “being perfect”.

When you notice any of these signs, it’s important to take a step back and recognise what’s going on.

You might be feeling pressured because of external factors, like family expectations or work pressures. On the other hand, you might also be feeling pressured because you’ve internalised the idea that you have to be perfect.

Either way you’re likely in the process of figuring out how to navigate these feelings and come to terms with your own insecurities.

Find Strategies To Overcome Perfectionism

The truth is that most people who feel pressured all the time don’t know what to do differently. There’s nothing wrong with having high standard for yourself, but if your standards get in the way of you progressing with your life then you’ve got an issue. 🤷‍♀️

If you want to start overcoming your fears of feeling pressured, the first thing you need to do is start taking steps toward self-compassion.

This might sound super vague but it’s actually one of the most important things you can do to start overcoming perfectionism.

Self-compassion is about treating yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you would treat a close friend. 🥰

It’s about learning to recognise that you’re not alone in this world and that everyone struggles with their own insecurities. When you stop shaming yourself for your struggles and start putting more love and kindness towards yourself, you’ll feel less anxious and less pressured to succeed.

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Stop Being So Hard On Yourself

You’re not a bad person. You’re not selfish. You’re not useless. You’re not the only person in the world who ever messes something up. Mistakes aren’t failures. 🙅‍♀️

They’re simply lessons to help you learn how to be a better person. Even the most successful people on the planet have made mistakes and screwed up. You’ve made mistakes. You’ve screwed up. It’s OK.

You’re not a failure if you have bad days or make mistakes. 🙂

You’re not a failure if you have doubts about yourself or if you feel like you’re not good enough. You’re human. You’re permitted to feel the way you feel. You’re permitted to make mistakes. You’re permitted to feel bad about yourself.

You’re doing your best and your best is all you can ever ask of yourself. ❤️

Talk To Others About Your Struggle

If you’re one of those people who’s feeling pressure but doesn’t know how to stop, one place you can start is by talking to someone about your struggles.

There’s a lot of shame that comes along with admitting that you struggle and talking to a friend about it can help you feel less alone. 🤗

If you don’t have a friend who you can talk to, there are tons of online platforms where you can anonymously chat with people who are facing the same issues that you are.

There are groups like The Mighty or Whisper that allow people to talk about whatever they want, whether that’s anxiety or anything else. 😌

You don’t have to go through life silently struggling with your own insecurities. There are tons of people who are willing to lend support and help you feel less alone.

Practice Gratitude

When you are a perfectionist there are a lot of negative ideas floating around about how you should feel and what you should be doing.

It’s important to remember that you don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be the best at everything you do. You don’t have to be the most important person in the world.

In fact, you don’t have to do anything at all. You only have to be you. You only have to do what you can do. 🤷‍♀️

You can choose to be positive about how you feel and what you’re doing. You can choose to be grateful for the things that you have. You can choose to be generous with your time and energy. You can choose to make mistakes and learn from them.

You can choose to accept yourself as you are. 🥰

Exercise Can Help

When you’re feeling pressured all the time, it’s easy to start looking for ways to relieve that stress.

You might start to notice, for example, that a certain music genre makes you feel better, or you might start looking for little ways to relieve your anxiety.😮‍💨

Some of the best ways to relieve pressure while maintaining a healthy lifestyle are to exercise and meditate.

Physical activity is known to help with anxiety and depression, and there are tons of studies that show how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, no matter how old you are. 👵

Studies also show that regular meditation can help alleviate many of the negative effects that come with overcoming perfectionsm, including stress, worry, and feelings of inadequacy.

No matter what you choose to do, make sure that you still take care of yourself.

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Overcoming Perfectionism – To Sum It Up

Feeling pressured to be perfect is a very common feeling among students and high achievers. While it can come from external factors, it can also come from a place of insecurity within you.

The best way to deal with it is to first recognize it and then, secondly, to find strategies to overcome it. 🙂

Above all, remember that you aren’t a failure and that you’re permitted to make mistakes. Overcoming perfectionism isn’t easy but its possible. Learn from your mistakes and move on. You’re human after all. 💕

Pin this post for a reminder 📌 👇

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