



Letting Go of Perfectionism
Stop Striving and Start Living
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
So many people struggle silently with feeling good enough and going above and beyond their limits in order to achieve "perfection". They're successful at work and in their personal lives, but this comes at a significant emotional, mental, and sometimes physical toll. They want an escape, they want permission to stop, slow down, or have things be somewhat easier, but they're scared to make change because they're not sure what that looks like or the implication on their careers, relationships, and personal identity.
"Who am I outside of my accomplishments"?
"Who am I outside of being someone who does things for other people?"
"Who am I if I'm not always working or doing something?"
This book will provide the social and cultural context for how these tendencies towards perfectionism emerge. By having a better sense of why we have bought into a narrative of "more is better" and perpetual optimization and doing better, people can start to re-align how they want to live.
Written by an Asian American therapist who has lived experience with managing her own perfectionism, this blend of advice and perspective will help come up with their own solutions to problematic perfectionistic tendencies and gain a better understanding of how they want to make values-driven decisions in their lives.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Psychologist Yoon debuts with a nuanced exploration of perfectionism and its ill effects. Tracing the personality trait's sociocultural roots, she notes that in immigrant cultures, children are often pressured to succeed academically to redeem their parents' sacrifices. Capitalism also conveys the idea, according to Yoon, that "being enough" means accruing more money or success by whatever means necessary. Such constant striving can lead to addiction, mood disorders, people-pleasing, or feelings of "insecurity, low self-esteem, and low self-worth," she writes. Tips for managing one's perfectionism include redefining what counts as "good enough"; embracing imperfection; and approaching "self-growth and learning from a place of curiosity." Those suggestions are smart and solid if nothing new; most valuable is the information Yoon provides on how cultural contexts fuel perfectionism, especially for members of immigrant and marginalized communities for whom it's a matter of survival to "prove their place in the world." The result is a wise assessment of the perils of an obsession with success.