When Perfect Isn't Good Enough: Strategies for Coping with Perfectionism

by Martin M. Antony, Richard P. Swinson

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Description

It's only natural to want to avoid making mistakes, but imperfection is a part of being human. And while perfectionists are often praised for their abilities, being constantly anxious about details can hold you back and keep you from reaching your full potential. In this fully revised and updated second edition of When Perfect Isn't Good Enough, you'll discover the root cause of your perfectionism, explore the impact of perfectionism on your life, and find new, proven-effective coping skills show more to help you overcome your anxiety about making mistakes. This guide also includes tips for dealing with other perfectionists and discussions about how perfectionism is linked to worry, depression, anger, social anxiety, and body image. As you complete the exercises in this book, you'll find it easier and easier to keep worries at bay and enjoy life - imperfections and all. This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit - an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives. show less

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Member Reviews

1 review
It’s a great book that tells you about your own life.

“Ted feels like he needs to spend many hours a day reading books to meet his self-help goals. When his family invites him downstairs to watch baseball, he stays upstairs instead to read about how to build family relationships and avoid perfectionism.”

Just kidding.

Great book.

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What a paradox that we can be excessively conscientious.

Even the most loose person probably feels bad about it and says, ‘But I don’t want my kid to be like me; I want them to do the right thing.’ “The right thing” meaning, selling yourself to conscientiousness. Although in other situations it’s clear to everyone else except the person caught in this behavior that to be show more rigidly churched or Victorian is a small box without any slits for air.

In the end: if you can’t forgive anything, if you’re too proud for that, do you call that life?

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When I got the book, I was like: perfectionism is Just Bad and I want done with it. Now I see that that is itself perfectionistic. We must try to balance between wanting reasonable standards and not wanting unreasonable ones.
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New Harbinger
18 works; 1 member

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24 Works 679 Members
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Common Knowledge

Dedication
For Cynthia
—MMA

For Carolyn
—RPS
First words
Most of us are bombarded with demands to improve our performance.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Best of luck as you continue to let go of the rules and standards that have been holding you back until now!
Blurbers
Heimberg, Richard; Ellis, Albert; Barlow, David H.; Frost, Randy O.

Classifications

Genres
Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
DDC/MDS
158.1Philosophy & psychologyPsychologyApplied psychologyPersonal improvement and analysis
LCC
BF698.35 .P47 .A58Philosophy, Psychology and ReligionPsychologyPsychology
BISAC

Statistics

Members
181
Popularity
180,953
Reviews
1
Rating
½ (3.33)
Languages
English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
10
ASINs
3