At first, it introduces itself with fancy promises. Perfectionism says, “if you do everything perfectly, you will have the life you always wanted, you will feel worthy and enough. But first, get it all done, perfectly, all on your own.”
Perfectionism hides behind your dreams to make you follow all of its rules and protocol. It uses what you value and what you fear to keep you under its spell. Perfectionism will use values like family, connection, safety, and fears like rejection, failure, and disappointment against you. It promises you happiness, a feeling of worthiness, and a sense of belonging. But it is all a lie. Perfectionism never delivers on its promises. What instead comes next when you feel lost in your perfectionism is anxiety, burnout, exhaustion, and overwhelm. Ultimately, a loss of sense of self.
You have abandoned yourself. You no longer know who you are because you stopped listening to your inner voice. You don’t know what makes you happy and what you want out of life because you haven’t set your boundaries or asserted your needs. Perfectionism created a disconnection because you haven’t shown your authentic self to those around you.
When perfectionism says, “it’s not enough, you are not doing enough,” you doubt yourself. You no longer think you are a good enough mother, good enough wife, or good enough friend.