In Progress, On Purpose
43 Deep Journal Prompts to Overcome Perfectionism
Perfectionism is like a cancer that spreads into every aspect of your life, creeping into every decision you make. Just like cancer, you might not even be aware of the existence of perfectionism, but it is silently damaging your life. It can affect some or all areas of your life, depending on how deeply rooted perfectionism is in your personality.
Trying to be perfect does more harm than good. You might never begin or never finish something you started – all because you worry that it will not be perfect. You will be stuck in a loop of I am not good enough.
It destroys your self-confidence and make you feel like a failure which is not the truth.
In many ways perfectionism is an illusion. Trying to turn illusion into reality is the path to frustration, burn-out, endless self-doubt and repeated failures.
The good news is that, with constant efforts you can break free from this illusion. These journal prompts for perfectionism is the first step you can take to stop being a perfectionist.
43 Deep Journal Prompts to Overcome Perfectionism
RECOGNIZING PERFECTIONISM
1. What does perfectionism mean to you?
2. Why do you strive for perfectionism?
3. In which areas of your life does perfectionism have a huge impact? Is it positive or negative?
4. When you don’t meet your own standards of high expectations, what emotions do you feel?
5.What is your earliest memory of striving for perfectionism in your life?
6. When you make mistakes, how do you handle them?
7. What do you think will happen if you stopped caring about being perfect?
8. Do you procrastinate doing things because of the fear that it won’t be perfect?
9. Write about a situation when perfectionism has held you back from achieving or starting something.
10. How do you react to criticism?
11. Do you compare yourself to others? If so, why do you do that?
12. Are you stopping yourself from starting a goal because of fear of failure?
13. Does less than being perfect means failure to you?
14. Is social media playing a part in fueling the illusion that life needs to be perfect?
15. Is perfectionism affecting your relationships? If yes, what can you do about it?
16. Do you set unrealistic expectations for yourself? If so, why?
17. What achievements are you proud of? Why? Were those the one which was perfect in every aspect?
18. Have you ever sacrificed your health for achieving perfectionism?
19. Do you celebrate your achievements? Or just move on to another goal immediately?
20. How do you define success? Is it realistic?
21. Have you had any experience where trying to perfect something had the opposite result?
22. Do you focus more on the outcome or the process of doing something in your daily activities?
SHIFTING MINDSET
23. What does ‘good enough’ mean to you? Can you embrace it in your daily life?
24. How will your life changes if you gave yourself permission to make mistakes?
25. How can you show yourself grace when you fall short of being perfect?
26. What are three small things you can do imperfectly this week?
27. Write 3 personality trait of yours that has nothing to do with perfectionism.
28. How can you redefine success that is realistic?
29. Write down 3 affirmations or mantras that will help you to let go of perfectionism.
30. How can you enjoy and celebrate progress over outcome in your daily life?
31. Are there any areas where you have made peace with being ‘imperfect’? If so, which one?
OVERCOMING PERFECTIONISM
32. What would your ideal day look like if you released yourself from the pressure of being perfect?
33. How can you embrace learning and experimentation in your life?
34. What hobbies can you try purely for fun, without worrying about being perfect?
35. What are some signs that you are slipping back into being perfect?
36. How can be more vulnerable and authentic in your relationships?
37. What are the boundaries that you can set to avoid being burnout?
38. Who inspires you to let go of perfectionism? What can you learn from that person?
39. What is one area where you are ready to let go of perfectionism?
40. How can you remind yourself that your worth isn’t tied to achievements?
41. What does living an ‘imperfectly balanced’ life means to you?
42. What is one mistake that you made recently? What can you learn from it?
43. How can you track and celebrate your progress of overcoming perfectionism?
Breaking free from the chains of perfectionism isn’t something that’s gonna happen overnight. May be not within days or weeks. It might take you months to step out from the shadow of perfectionism.
It takes time but its definitely worth it. Slowly and steadily, you will be progressing towards achieving you goals and dreams. Perfectionism will not be the roadblock anymore. You will be free from the chains of unrealistic expectations and soar high in the sky.
I hope these journal prompts helps you to overcome perfectionism. If you found these journal prompts, share it with someone who might need it too.
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