How to Prioritise Your Mental Health and Overcome Perfectionism at Work
Strategies on how to prioritise your mental health and overcome perfectionism at work are paramount in today’s fast-paced work culture. Balancing professional demands while safeguarding mental well-being requires intentional strategies for sustained productivity and happiness.
This involves acknowledging the significance of mental health, recognising signs of burnout, and implementing effective coping mechanisms. Fostering a supportive environment and embracing imperfection can help individuals cultivate resilience and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
This article will explore actionable steps and insights on mental health and perfectionism in the workplace and how to promote personal growth and professional fulfilment.
Importance of Mental Health in the Workplace
Supporting mental health in work environments can no longer be considered “a choice.” but an actual requirement for the job. Staff efficiency and mental wellness are interconnected. Together, these two components can lead to an employee’s success. However, emotional distress is also possible in the absence of suitable mental health maintenance or assistance. As such, it’s important to understand mental health and perfectionism and to develop appropriate strategies to handle them.
Understanding Perfectionism in the Workplace
It’s important to clarify that perfectionism is not the same as having high standards or striving for excellence. Healthy striving –working harder and pushing personal and professional boundaries – is admirable.
Perfectionism is:
- Setting impossibly high standards
- Connecting personal value to achieving those impossible standards
When perfectionism manifests on the job, people procrastinate on tasks that they find challenging and spend too much time on minute details.
The Impact of Perfectionism on Mental Health
When perfectionists set these impossibly high standards and fail to achieve their desired outcome, they experience low self-esteem, terrible relationships with others, poor mental health, and decreased efficiency. They are also subject to loneliness, agitation, anger, bitterness, self-harming ideas, disappointment, and stress.
Strategies to Overcome Perfectionism at Work
The following steps and practices have proven effective as regards how to prioritise your mental health and overcome perfectionism at work:
Setting Realistic Goals
Realistic goals can protect against perfectionism and provide a good work-life balance. This involves deciding on essential projects and goals, defining deadlines and standards, and using resources efficiently. As a result, motivation increases, work experience is enhanced, and optimal mental health is maintained.
The SMART goal-setting framework offers a guide to setting realistic goals and is a widely used approach to setting and achieving goals in the workplace.
Embracing Imperfection
It may be counterintuitive, but accepting imperfections instead of striving for perfection can improve job performance and career outcomes. Most employees are surprised to learn that management doesn’t expect perfection. Perfectionist tendencies can lead to overboard actions—far beyond what colleagues and business organisations expect.
Sometimes, what might be considered an adequate effort far outweighs the expectations of others. Therefore, prioritising your mental health and overcoming perfectionism at work involves evaluating your capabilities more realistically, setting reachable goals, and embracing imperfection.
Time Management and Delegation
Effective time management is necessary to maintain mental health and boost efficiency by taking ownership of tasks and ensuring work is finished on time. Delegation involves more than just assigning tasks to team members; it also includes assigning responsibilities for achieving results and providing valuable opportunities for development and learning. Tasks may be delegated to team members rather than taking on extra work personally, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and stress.
How to Prioritise Mental Health in a High-Pressure Environment
Prioritising mental health in the workspace is vital to achieving a healthy and productive work environment.
The following are ways to ensure optimal mental health:
Work-Life Balance
A good work-life balance combines optimal mental health care, a productive work experience, and adequate time for personal life.
Tips for a healthy work-life balance:
- Identify the things that add value to your life
- Practise time management
- Set limits on your work time and pre-plan time for other activities.
- Enjoy your work (Do what you love and love what you do)
- Manage spending habits
- Nurture relationships and prioritise quality time with loved ones.
- Focus on your health (Exercise, healthy food, and quality sleep)
- Take time to rest and recharge
Seeking Support
Everybody occasionally needs help, but it’s not always easy to say so. Regardless of the career stage, asking for help may seem like incompetence, weakness, or even annoying. However, seeking support should not be viewed as a weakness, as it’s essential in prioritising mental health and overcoming perfectionism at work.
Consider the following tips and guidelines:
Use the right communication channel: Depending on the relationship with the person, the nature of the request, and the physical location, this could be face-to-face, on the telephone, or in an email. An initial, short message is often an excellent place to start (outline the issue, check the person’s availability, and assess their willingness to help).
Be confident: People are often happy to share their knowledge and will likely be flattered to be asked. But seeming nervous when asking for help can make people reluctant to get involved or even suspicious. Consider any questions that could be asked and prepare a response. And remember that body language sometimes says far more than words!
Show your appreciation: Always say “thank you” when someone offers help with mental health and perfectionism problems; if the situation allows it, think of ways to appreciate them.
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Mindfulness and Stress-Reduction Techniques
Mindfulness training in the workplace effectively reduces burnout, reduces perceived stress, and improves mental health and wellbeing. It can also enhance team and organisational climate and increase personal performance.
Ways to Calm Your Mind in Stressful Times
Practice Breathing Exercises
Breathing is a powerful way to regulate emotions, and it is something that can be taken for granted. Through breathing, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is activated—the calming response in the body. An excellent calming breathing exercise is to breathe in (e.g., to a count of four), hold, and then breathe out for up to twice as long (e.g., to a count of six or eight).
Adopt an Attitude of Self-Compassion
Self-compassion is being mindful of your emotions—aware of the emotions associated with failure. Self-compassion also involves understanding that everyone makes mistakes and that it’s part of being human.
Foster Genuine Connection
After food and shelter, connecting with other people positively is the greatest human need. The good news is that practising breathing techniques and self-compassion can help to prioritise mental health and overcome perfectionism at work.
Practice Having Compassion for Others
Compassion for others shifts the focus from personal problems to helping others requiring assistance. This shift can suddenly increase energy and creativity as we practice service and compassion for others.
Conclusion
In today’s demanding work culture, strategies on how to prioritise your mental health and overcome perfectionism at work are essential for sustained productivity and well-being. This includes realistic goal-setting, embracing imperfection, efficient time management, maintaining work-life balance, seeking support, and practising mindfulness. By integrating these approaches, individuals can navigate the complexities of the workplace while sustainably fostering personal growth and professional fulfilment.
FAQs for How to Prioritize Your Mental Health and Overcome Perfectionism at Work
How can I tell if my perfectionism is affecting my mental health?
Perfectionism may affect mental health if you experience constant stress, anxiety, or feelings of inadequacy due to unattainable standards. Notice if your self-worth is based on achievements, leading to emotional distress or burnout.
What are some signs that I need to take a step back at work?
Signs to step back include feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or unable to concentrate. Physical symptoms like headaches or sleep disturbances may also indicate excessive stress. Recognise when productivity declines, or tasks become increasingly challenging to complete.
Can perfectionism be a positive trait in the workplace?
While striving for excellence is commendable, perfectionism can hinder productivity and cause undue stress. However, moderation can drive attention to detail and high standards. Recognise when perfectionism becomes detrimental and aim for a healthy balance of striving for excellence without undue pressure.
How can I approach my manager about my struggles with perfectionism?
Approach your manager openly and honestly about your struggles with perfectionism. Share specific examples of how it affects your work and propose solutions collaboratively. Emphasise your commitment to improvement and how their support can enhance your productivity and well-being.
