GETTY IMAGES X2 ILLUSTRATIONS: JAMES YATES, PETE LAWRENCE
There’s actually nothing wrong with striving to do your best – psychologists refer to this as ‘healthy perfectionism’ and it’s associated with various positive outcomes in life. But there’s also a darker side to perfectionism, which is when you feel burdened by a constant pressure to meet impossible standards, possibly as a way to cope with feelings of shame or inadequacy.
A common feature of this form of unhealthy perfectionism, is that you’re trying to meet other people’s expectations, to prove your worth.