• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FHE Health | Inpatient Rehab & Mental Health Facility in Florida Homepage

Drug, Alcohol and Mental Health Treatment

ContactCareers

Call for Immediate Help (833) 596-3502

MENUMENU
  • About
        • About FHE Rehab
          • About FHE Health
          • Our Staff
          • Locations We Serve
          • Testimonials
        • Our Campus
          • Gallery
          • Our Videos
          • The Health and Wellness Center at FHE Health
        • Our Locations
          • Alcohol Rehab
          • Detox Center
          • Drug Rehab
          • Mental Health Center
          • Outpatient Rehab
        • Careers at FHE Health
          • Employment Opportunities
        • Our Expertise
          • Accreditations
          • Educational Opportunities
          • Community Impact Award
          • First Responder Families Podcast
          • First Responder Paws
          • Education Scholarship
  • Addiction
        • Treatment Programs
          • Treatment Program Overview
          • Alcohol Addiction
          • Drug Addiction Treatment
          • Behavioral Addiction
        • Levels of Care
          • Continuum of Care
          • Addiction Detox
          • Inpatient Addiction Treatment
          • Outpatient Addiction Treatment
        • What We Treat
          • Alcoholism
          • Amphetamines
          • Benzodiazepines
          • Cocaine
          • Heroin
          • Opioids
          • Sedative
  • Mental Health
        • Mental Health Rehab
          • Mental Health Rehab
          • Onsite Psychiatric Care
          • Dual Diagnosis
        • Levels of Care
          • Residential Mental Health Care
          • Outpatient Mental Health Care
        • What We Treat
          • ADD & ADHD
          • Anxiety Disorders
          • Bipolar Disorder
          • Depression
          • Eating Disorders
          • Personality Disorders
          • PTSD
          • Schizophrenia
          • Substance Use Disorder
          • Trauma
  • Programs
        • FHE Programs
          • Specialty Program Overview
          • Restore (Mental Health)
          • Empower! (Women's Program)
          • Shatterproof FHE Health(First Responders)
          • Compass Program
        • Support Programs
          • Alumni
          • Family Support
        • Therapies
          • Acupuncture
          • Breathwork Therapy
          • CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
          • DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
          • EMDR Therapy
          • Expressive Arts Therapy
          • Individual Therapy
          • Group Therapy
          • Gambling Therapy
          • Massage
        • Medical Care
          • Medical Integration
          • Ketamine Infusion
          • IV Vitamin
          • Fitness & Nutrition
          • Medication-Assisted Treatment
          • Medication Management
        • NeuroRehab Services
          • Neuro Rehabilitation
          • Neurofeedback Training
          • Neurostimulation Therapy
          • EEG Brain Mapping
          • Insomnia Treatment for PTSD
  • Resources
        • FHE Guides
          • Understanding Drug Abuse
          • Signs of Addiction
          • The Disease of Addiction
          • Confronting Addiction
          • Staging an Intervention
          • Rehab Success Rate – Does It Really Work?
          • Withdrawal Timelines
          • Life After Rehab
          • LGBTQ+ Community Resources
          • Veteran Resources
          • FHE Podcasts
          • Remote Resources Toolkit
        • Learning Center
          • Help for You
          • Help For Loved Ones
          • Help For Alcoholism
          • Help With Substance Abuse
          • Behavioral & Mental Health
          • Life in Recovery
          • Rehab Explained
          • Addiction Statistics
          • Our Research Articles
          • View All Articles
        • The Experience Blog
          • Addiction News
          • Alumni
          • Community Events
          • Expert Opinions
          • FHE Commentary
          • FHE News
          • Treatment Legislation
          • View All Articles
  • Admissions
        • Insurance
          • Blue Cross Insurance
          • Beacon Health / Value Options Insurance
          • Cigna Insurance
          • Humana Insurance
          • TRICARE Insurance
        • Admissions
          • Steps to Addiction Help
          • Will Insurance Cover Behavioral Treatment?
          • Self-Pay Rehab
        • FAQ
          • Keeping Your Job in Rehab
          • Example Day in Rehab
        • Contact Admissions
          • Contact Us
          • Secure Payment Form
  • Contact
  •  
Home > Learning > Behavioral & Mental Health > Addicted to Perfection: Learning to Live Imperfectly

October 29, 2018 By Chris Foy

Addicted to Perfection: Learning to Live Imperfectly

Learning to live imperfectly

Perfectionism is defined as the consistent attempt to be faultless and involves a set of compulsive behaviors and attitudes employed to achieve this. Perfectionists establish very high parameters within which they live and are immensely critical of themselves when those standards are not maintained. The downfall of such people is that their aims are often inaccessible and yet despite this their lives operate along strict rules meant to help them attain that goal with little room for anything else. However, there are two very different types of perfectionism.

Positive perfectionism is completely normal, as it entails having noble standards for oneself and wanting to be the best. This one is what can drive people to be good students, excellent employees, reliable friends, and loving partners. However negative perfectionism is abnormal and does not do much to benefit the lives of people. Rather it brings about worry, uncertainty, and fear; all three of which can be crippling. Someone with positive perfection will understand that some deadlines will not be met, there will be failings on their behalf, and certain things are beyond human control. Negative perfectionism leaves individuals with stress as they feel like every shortcoming is the end of the world that others will judge them on for the rest of their lives.

Perfectionism and Mental Health

Positive or negative perfectionismWhile positive perfectionism can give structure to a person’s life, there is room for things not to work out and for that not be interpreted as a disaster. When tasks are completed, however, the individual is able to enjoy the pleasure and reward. No such flexibility exists with negative perfectionism. Negative perfectionism is a type of neurosis not grounded in reality. Neurotic people will have unrealistic goals that do not consider the limitations of human beings. Even if those objectives are met, no joy is felt as the person is off to the next unattainable target.

When someone gets stuck in this cycle of stretching themselves beyond capability, perfectionism has now become an addiction. And as with every addiction, there is a toll on mental health. Neuroses cause individuals to lose their self-esteem and self-confidence. They often doubt their abilities to accomplish tasks set forth. Every decision they make, no matter how simple, is mulled over numerous times. This can be mistaken for the pursuit of excellence or high ambition when in fact it is actually going to inflict tremendous psychological stress that can be entirely avoided.

Most people grow up being rewarded for achieving results and shamed for not meeting expectations. Regardless of how that manifests in every individual’s life, we all learn that we will be accepted and loved when successful and rejected for the opposite. This toxic message leads to developing a false sense of self that is presented to the world. Always to portray an image of perfection and contentment no matter what is going on under the surface. All of these factors come together and give birth to perfectionism, which is not conducive to daily life or to a sound mind. If we are perfect, then nobody can judge us. Sadly, endorsing this behavior over a period of time has drastic consequences and perfection addiction can then lead to other diseases.

The issues with self-esteem and self-worth can trigger eating disorders due to feelings of inadequacy and having a distorted image of oneself. The anxiety and/or fear associated with not completing a task may become rehabilitating and take shape as obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD can be induced by stress and is characterized by individuals experiencing repetitive, obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. Perfectionists when they have a goal in mind, have such experiences and are unable to shake them. Clearly, mental health is not an issue to be taken lightly. It is a growing epidemic in the United States that perfectionism is certainly capable of worsening. About 18.5% of adult Americans experience mental illness, while 4% have a major mental illness that acts as a barrier to school, work, relationships, and family.

Learning to Live Imperfectly

Quote from text - Learning to live imperfectlyLearning to live imperfectly sounds like a throwaway quote, but accepting our shortcomings and surrendering to the uncontrollable nature of life takes a weight off our shoulders and is good for mental health. There is nothing wrong with having a mission or wanting to be the best. But when the process to meet those ends far outweigh the outcomes, you should consider some things:

  1. Every day is a new day full of possibilities. If the list of tasks you set out to tackle in twenty-fours hours remains incomplete at the end of the day, that is okay. There is always another day coming where you can finish all of those things and take the proper time to do so.
  2. Your plan will never work out perfectly. There are so many unforeseen circumstances and external factors that impact our abilities to reach intended targets. You may plan out your day minute-by-minute, but what if there is an accident on the road and you are stuck in traffic? What if your computer malfunctions and you lose all of your work? These are situations beyond your control. There is no need to beat yourself up about it.
  3. Always remember that goals can change. When you write something down on paper or put it into a planner, it is not set in stone. Not everything needs to be completed on a certain day at a specific time in a particular way. You need to be more flexible about this. Rearranging goals do not make them less important, you are just doing yourself a favor.
  4. Approaching life imperfectly is better for mental health. There is less stress and worry. People who use this method are less likely to demonstrate “all-or-nothing” attitudes that deprive them of the ability to appreciate small achievements in life that a perfectionist would surely miss. Imperfectionists are not as taxed by their thoughts because relapses are seen as a part of life. Knowing this allows them to accept their flaws, which distinguishes them from perfectionists who would never forgive themselves for relapsing.
  5. Use mistakes as opportunities to learn and better yourself. Rather than seeing it as a total catastrophe, think about why the mistake was made and how you can prevent further ones. Human beings are fallible. Knowing to forgive and love yourself unconditionally is a major relief to your mental health.

Contact Florida House

Addiction does not always come in the form of drugs and alcohol. Chasing perfection is an addiction onto itself that can have adverse effects on the body and mind. It is a matter that needs to be addressed and treated immediately. Learning to live imperfectly sounds simple and generic, but it is a delicate process that makes life much less stress-inducing. If you or someone you know wants to learn about perfectionism and how to manage it contact us at 833-596-3502.

Filed Under: Behavioral & Mental Health

About Chris Foy

Chris Foy is a content manager and webmaster for FHE Health with years of experience in the addiction treatment industry...read more

Primary Sidebar

Learning Center

  • Help for You
  • Help For Loved Ones
  • Help For Alcoholism
  • Help With Substance Abuse
  • Behavioral & Mental Health
  • Life in Recovery
  • Rehab Explained
  • All Articles

Sign up for the Blog

Our Facilities

Take a look at our state of the art treatment center.

View Our Gallery

The Experience Blog

  • Addiction News
  • Alumni
  • Community Events
  • Expert Columns
  • FHE Commentary
  • FHE News
  • Treatment Legislation
  • All Articles

Footer

FHE Health

© 2025 FHE Health

505 S Federal Hwy #2,
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441
1-833-596-3502
youtube facebook instagram linkedin twitter
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • AI Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
A+ BBB and Top Places to Work - Sun Sentinel

Copyright © 2025 · FHE Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}

The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing. If one of our articles is marked with a ‘reviewed for accuracy and expertise’ badge, it indicates that one or more members of our team of doctors and clinicians have reviewed the article further to ensure accuracy. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care.

If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at marketing@fhehealth.com.

833-596-3502

Text/Call Me