How perfectionism impacts chronic pain
Perfectionism can get in your way and into your head to a point where it overwhelms and paralyzes you, This practice helps you cultivate a sense of surrender, of being "just enough" in your actions and mindset.
Perfectionism and chronic pain
It’s known that pain severity and negative outcomes are heightened amongst individuals with socially-prescribed and self-oriented perfectionism. (1, 2, 3)
While the precise mechanism is not yet known, we can postulate that perfectionistic individuals hold higher standards for themselves and set unrealistic expectation for themselves and others, both of which can create excessive stress.
The internalized stress excites the already triggered nervous system in chronic pain, which can further exacerbate symptoms.
Let us also not forget that perfectionists will do whatever it takes to achieve the image of perfectionism, even if that means overextending their bodies and energies. For those living with persistent pain, having set boundaries and being aware of where their edges are are key strategies in keeping pain levels down.
Even in yoga practices, perfectionists tend to push past their bodies’ safe limits, and would rather push forth and past the pain to meet the expectation of the “perfect pose.”
Personal journey of perfectionism
I am personally a perfectionist by personality and conditioning. I have dealt with my own share of how my perfectionistic tendencies caused undue stress, anxiety, and burnout. I have repeatedly injured myself on multiple occasions to achieve the textbook versions of the yoga poses or to please my teachers, and despite the pain, I continued to push myself forward.
It wasn’t until years later that I saw how my perfectionistic tendencies were ruining not only me, but my relationships and my career as well.
While yoga exacerbated my perfectionism in the beginning, it was yoga in the end that is helping me to resolve it.
This perfectionistic tendency is deep and latent — I don’t ever know if I will be able to fully resolve it. But through my personal yoga practice of letting go, and allowing my body rather than forcing, I am slowly softening the edges of that armor.
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