Move Through Perfecionsim and Overwhelm

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Renee Gebhart, One of Thousands of Relationship Coaches on Noomii.

Do you find yourself struggling with perfectionism or overwhelm? Here’s my confession for the day; I do. I’m a recovering perfectionist. Since I am sure I am not the only one who works at this, I’d like to share my favorite strategies for moving through the block that perfectionism and overwhelm create. Here’s how to get some movement and flow going:

1. Do something, as in possibly, the bare minimum. The odds are that you will feel better and more motivated to keep going after you have started. More often than not, the 10 minutes I talk myself into working out on my elliptical machine turns into 30 or 40 minutes.

2. Make a decision with what you know NOW. While it is useful to think about the future and to consider angles and options, over-thinking keeps you stuck, frustrated, and miserable. So, pick the best option(s) of the choices you have available at the present time and enjoy the freedom of moving forward.

3. Go for “good enough”. So many people wait until they can do something perfectly before beginning. This, my friends, lands you in the procrastination zone. No one feels good there. If you regularly strive for 100% or more, it is going to feel weird at first to aim, for let’s say, 80%. But you know what? That 80% gives you movement and that always feels better than being stuck or blocked.

4. Slow and steady wins the race. Meaning: find and stay in the flow—that would be the Zen-like flow, not the supercharged-high-like flow. Zen-like flow is absent of striving, straining, pushing, or charging. It feels natural and good, refreshing. Supercharged leaves you feeling exhausted and frustrated.

I have noticed this lately during my tennis lessons. When I try too hard to make something happen on the court, I mess up. When I drop the mental agenda and focus on the enjoyment of hitting the ball, I stay in a more natural flow, make more consistent contact with the ball, and enjoy myself ever so much more.

I definitely used my favorite strategies to get this post written. Thankfully these strategies were reinforced this week as I read “The Sweet Spot, How to Find Your Groove At Home and Work” by Christine Carter. It’s always good to have support. Let me know if I can be yours.