How Does Therapy Help Perfectionist Stop Moving The Goalposts?

Do you ever reach a goal and immediately start thinking about what you need to accomplish next? For perfectionists, success can feel temporary. You finish the project, get the promotion, earn the grade, or reach the goal, but instead of feeling proud, your mind quickly moves the goalposts.

You might think:

I could have done better.

That wasn't good enough.

Now I need to do more.

What is next.

There is nothing wrong with having ambition or wanting to grow. In fact, those qualities can be some of your greatest strengths. The problem is when achievement becomes the only way you allow yourself to feel successful or worthy. You are worthy reguardless of your sucess and achievements. This can be difficult to accept when you feel stuck.

Therapy can help you recognize the cycle of perfectionism and begin creating a different relationship with achievement. Instead of constantly chasing the next accomplishment, you can learn to acknowledge progress, celebrate success, tolerate mistakes, and develop self-trust. You can learn that success is more about the process than the product. Success is about the feeling of growth, the freedom it gives you, and the joy you get from the day to day things in life.

For teens, college students, and adults, this may also mean exploring the emotions and body sensations that come with pressure, achievement, and feeling like you are never doing enough.

As a Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, I help clients work with perfectionism rather than trying to eliminate it. The goal is not to lower your standards. It is to help you pursue what matters to you without constantly moving the finish line.

Because your perfectionism was never the problem. Learning how to harness it is where transformation begins. Looking for a therapist who specializes in perfectionism, anxiety, and mind-body therapy? I work with teens, college students, and adults throughout New York, offering both in-person sessions on Long Island and virtual therapy statewide.

Book your free 15-minute consultation to learn how therapy can help you transform perfectionism into your greatest strength.