What Is Perfectionism?

Take our Perfectionism Test

Find a therapist near me

There is excessive messaging from social media about having your wedding be a “perfect day.” Unfortunately, this “perfection” is often linked to logistics and superficial aspects of weddings, creating huge emotional stakes with very little gain. If one thing is off, then the day feels ruined. Perfectionism creates emotional pressure on days that should be about connecting, fun, and celebrating love. It really is best to avoid the perfectionism trap.

How can you tell if you are succumbing to harmful perfectionism?

First, identify the things you are most concerned about. If you are consumed with details, that is a red flag. Providing pages of specific instructions to vendors, family, and friends likely means perfectionism has hijacked the day.

Second, spend time identifying your emotional state. Are you frequently irritated? This may indicate rigidity and an overfocus on things not going completely as expected. I recommend doing a quick fact check of irritation. Can you identify the things that are going well, even something small, such as, “Everyone has their dress.” Ultimately, you want to be able to identify both what is going well and the........

© Psychology Today