Just because you worked on a history assignment on how Abraham Lincoln handled the Civil War or what the Industrial Revolution was, and you got a B- does not mean you should give perfectionism a chance to control you.

Perfectionism is a personality trait that strives for flawlessness and perfection. Individuals who have this trait set high and unrealistic standards for themselves and others. It is often caused by social media, anxiety, and fear of failure/rejection.

Having this personality trait as a teenager is not recommended and should be avoided at all times. Read this article to learn why.

It Negatively Affects Cognitive Functioning and Boosts Rumination

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Healthy cognitive function is crucial for teenagers because it determines the way they think, learn, act, and control themselves. When they allow perfectionism into their heads, it causes them to be more focused on negative thoughts and concerns, reducing cognitive function.

Rumination refers to constantly focusing on negative thoughts and can worsen anxiety and depression if it is not overcome. A journal article from ScienceDirect found that individuals with higher ruminative indecencies have a hard time shifting their focus away from negativity; they have also noted that it leads to an inability to demonstrate cognitive focus and performance.

Perfectionism can contribute to rumination and decrease your performance in the tasks you’re assigned, such as schoolwork, actual work, sports, etc. To prevent this, focus more on things that bring you joy, take some deep breaths, take a step outside, etc.

You Allow Thoughts to Feed You Unrealistic Expectations

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There’s a quote in Spider-Man: No Way Home by Michelle-Jones Watson (MJ) that says, “Expect disappointment and you’ll never get disappointed.” Sticking by this quote and lowering your standards can open a gate to a better life. Perfectionism doesn’t agree with that.

Before you became a perfectionist, did you think that you could score A+ grades in all classes or become rich at the age of 18? No. It is not you thinking those unrealistic thoughts; it is the perfectionism in your brain that is feeding you those thoughts.

Not only that, but it can make you work so rigorously that you kill your own energy and strength. To silence these thoughts, you must set your mind on things that are normal and within the limits of reality. I’m not saying that you should give up on your dreams, but do not let perfectionism ruin them.

It Leads to Low Self-Esteem

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Seeing all those people on TikTok or Instagram having the “perfect body” or a loaded wallet and a pretty face at a young age would make you feel insecure about yourself, but let me tell you something: what they post on social media doesn’t coincide with reality. They could look like the perfect person in their posts, but be completely broken in real life.

When you interact with those types of posts, it leads to low self-esteem. Self-esteem is what you need to sense your own worth and ability to respect yourself as you are. Perfectionism doesn’t mix well with self-esteem.

When social media makes you a perfectionist, you start exerting your body and mind to the point of exhaustion and self-destruction. You don’t do it because you want to, you do it because of them.

To avoid these issues, limit your time on social media, monitor your screen time, and try to communicate with individuals in the real world. With these tips, you’ll understand that reality is more beautiful than social media.

All You Think About Is Fear and Failure

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Making mistakes is okay. Failing is okay. Slapping yourself in the face over it is not.

When you think about failing at everything you do, you allow fear to enter your life, giving perfectionism an easy way to destroy you. It will make you think failure is easy to avoid and be flawless in everything you do, but in reality, failure is inevitable, and you’re not going to win at everything you do, but to succeed at something is to admit failure, and burnout is inevitable.

Prevent this by reminding yourself why you took your own occupation seriously, who delivered you from fear before perfectionism, and that what you’re feeling right now does not determine your whole life. Overcoming fear is hard but possible.

Why Wisdom is More Beneficial than Perfectionism

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• It opens the door to new opportunities: By allowing wisdom in your life, you’re opening the door to things outside your comfort zone and increasing your networking skills by communicating with like-minded individuals. This leads to a greater life.
• It grants the best decision-making skills: No matter what situation you’re in, you must make logical decisions to alleviate yourself. When you have wisdom, you’re not only making logical decisions, you’re allowing yourself to think before you act or speak.
• It leads to personal growth: Learning from your mistakes and letting them go and never doing it again is one of the benefits of wisdom. When you are struggling because you constantly overthink everything you did in the past, all you have to do is say, “I did it. I forgive myself, and I’m moving on.” That’s when wisdom kicks in.
• It develops stronger relationships: Individuals with a strong level of wisdom tend to be understanding and empathetic towards their partner when faced with a difficult situation. Wisdom also allows you to properly communicate with others to understand their own feelings.

Conclusion

Remember who you are, and you will never be alone. Once you figure out who you are, you will never be stoned by the darkness of perfectionism, nor will you be able to respect bad people before you respect yourself.