Reddit reviews Overcoming Perfectionism (Overcoming S)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Perfectionism-Roz-Shafran/dp/1845297423

Chances are, you have everything in your life more right than 99% of everyone else, but you hold yourself to extremely high standards.

I read this book and it helped me; Overcoming Perfectionism. I didn't even know I had perfectionist traits so you're ahead of me there! One HHUUGEE moment for me was learning about 'black and white' or 'all or nothing' thinking - they're CBT terms that are used to describe what you seem to be feeling. I had no idea that other people didn't have these rigid lines of what was good enough and what was horrendous. I know the pain of feeling worthless, hating myself, you have such sympathy from me. I needed therapy for a while until I was in a place to get the message of that book, but some ideas (like the thinking styles) shook me straight away and made me realise that there were other options for how to think that might not hurt me so much. Good look on your journey, I really really recommend that book - it's medically approved in the UK, so not just some selfhelp book.

I've already recommended this book once this week, but it's good enough that I'll do it twice. Overcoming Perfectionism. Even if you don't have it in you to put into practice any of the CBT techniques it outlines it's thought provoking and gives you better awareness on what OCPD and perfectionism is.

Medication doesn't treat OCPD, it makes it easier for you to treat yourself. When I've been on medication I've likened it to this - when I'm at my worst, my house goes to shit. I see a magazine on the floor and I step over it because I don't have the energy because the magazine being on the floor is exhausting, mentally. When I'm medicated I see a magazine on the floor and the medication is suppressing the anxiety and the exhaustion, so maybe I'll pick it up. Going to therapy and CBT is also not a quick fix; it's likely for the first month or so you'll feel radically worse. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made, though. I'm able to see when I'm becoming destructive better and channel my energy constructively. I'm more forgiving, I find hanging out with friends more relaxing.

Yo beans. I know that feeling well, and I've been there for many years, until recently. It's especially hard because you base your entire value of self-worth on what you achieve (or don't) rather than just feeling an inherent self worth. Or at least this was how it felt to me. It's super hard to know how to break the cycle without the benefit of having someone show you how. For me, that was with a therapist - she specialised in the area and gave me exercises and reading material to help me break the cycle. I'd really recommend this book as a start: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Perfectionism-self-help-behavioural-techniques/dp/1845297423 Happy to talk more if you need.