Covid Awareness

THE PITFALLS OF BEING A PERFECTIONIST DURING A PANDEMIC

With the rapid spread of the deadly Coronavirus worldwide, people everywhere have been forced into a drastic, sudden change in lifestyle. Many are slowly acclimatizing to this new world (be it by practising social distancing, or forming new habits like washing hands, etc.). However, the disruption to people's daily routines brought on by severe restrictions on physical and social interactions has had a psychological effect on everyone- more so on those who were already dealing with certain anxieties and vulnerabilities in the pre-COVID world. Perfectionists are among those who fall into this category.

Perfectionistic people strain compulsively and unceasingly toward unattainable goals and measure their self-worth by productivity and accomplishment. They tend to be harsh critics of themselves when they fail to meet their expectations.

Recent evidence suggests that the global health crisis is aggravating the already high levels of distress and complex psychological problems found among vulnerable perfectionists, which originates from their need to constantly seek certainty and reassurance from their environment. Under the present circumstances, their perfectionistic tendencies are likely to be multiplied due to the illusion of control that they provide during times of uncertainty. As a result, they are likely to overcompensate by engaging in various activities, in an attempt to productively utilise what they consider their “free time”. Such activities include preparing elaborate meals for the family, making sure that the house is spotless, exercising excessively, reorganizing things within the house, taking up more than one hobby, and even preparing to accomplish their long-term goals. This behaviour stems from a strong fear of not being good enough (or “perfect"), further fuelled by the motivation to avoid the fear of failure and/ or embarrassment. The uncertainty and anxiety associated with the ongoing pandemic add to such fears, putting those with milder perfectionistic tendencies also at risk of their condition worsening.

Perfectionism can especially affect students during these tumultuous times. The pre-existing anxiety among students is likely to be compounded by the pandemic and result in increased feelings of helplessness and hopelessness about achieving their goals and aspirations. This is bound to manifest in behaviours such as excessive searches for information online, frequent social comparison with their peers, and constant brooding.

Health care workers too are at increased risk of developing perfectionistic tendencies during, (and because of) the pandemic. Since being a part of the medical field involves saving lives, perfectionism is generally required on the part of doctors and nurses. Because of the pandemic, the antecedent stress faced by health workers is amplified due to factors such as an overwhelming number of patients, and (often) a shortage of personal protective equipment. As a result, they are most likely to suffer from feelings of guilt, self-blame, constant reduction of self concept and a sense of inefficacy, which further demoralizes them and adds to their anxiety.

While perfectionism offers distraction and a temporary sense of comfort, it also has several downsides, including the presence of an overly harsh inner critic, severely rigid standards, and a distorted (‘all-or-nothing') thinking.

Given below are several pointers that people should take care to note to overcome any potential rising feelings of inadequacy during this lockdown:

• In contrast to the general notion of “optimising the time spent during isolation” as internalised by many during this pandemic, the focus right now should not be on productivity, but on psychological coping, survival, and authenticity. It is important for people to realise that instead of prioritising self-actualization during this period, they should put significant effort in utilising their psychological resources for coping with major stressors.
• The realisation that one is doing enough- given these trying times, will play a major role in minimising (and eventually stopping) the feelings of inefficiency brought on by any budding perfectionistic tendencies.
• The pandemic and its resultant severe disruption to daily routines may affect the sense of self and identity of physically isolated perfectionists, leading to anxiety.
  They should learn to combat this anxiety by learning mindfulness, engaging in forms of positive relaxation exercises and finding ways of cognitively distracting themselves by reading or by listening to podcasts, watching escapist forms of television, and connecting with family and friends.
• A key to battling feelings of inadequacy and related anxiety is to focus on the present moment, which gets one to focus more on being able to engage in the task at hand as opposed to ‘what ifs,’ which would fuel the anxiety further.

In a nutshell, perfectionists need to start accepting the fact that nobody is perfect, and that mistakes and failures are learning opportunities, more so in light of the ongoing pandemic.