Do you need a break? (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Life can be pretty full-on if you won’t settle for anything short of perfection.
This can especially be the case at work – with people putting in extra hours to ensure precise targets are met and going above and beyond to get the right results.
But it seems high achievers who strive for perfection at work might find these high standards steep into their personal lives and, ultimately, put their health at risk.
According to a new study, perfectionists are more likely to suffer burnout – and it is not just work-related stress that can be the cause.
Mental health expert and study lead author Professor Gordon Parker explains that burnout is common among high achievers in the workplace – but it’s becoming more common in their personal lives, too.
While lots of people seem to put burnout down to a ‘work problem’, Gordon says the stress we experienced at work or at home can ‘set the wheels for it in motion.’
More: Lifestyle
And that, actually, this burnout is more common in certain personality traits.
Professor Gordon says: ‘Our analyses indicated that burnout may also develop as a result of predisposing personality traits – especially perfectionism.
‘People with perfectionistic traits are usually excellent workers. However, they’re also prone to burnout as they set unrealistic and unrelenting standards, which are ultimately impossible to live up to.’
Off the back of the study, he’s released a self-help guide to burnout, called Burnout: A Guide To Identifying Burnout And Pathways To Recovery – to help those experiencing it.
We’ve also identified some key signs you’re heading for burnout this new year – so you can stop it in its tracks.
Warning signs you’re heading for burnout:
You feel increasingly cynical – about your job, yourself, and the state of the world
You’re impatient
You have a negative attitude and perspective
You have no enthusiasm or excitement for work
You often forget things
Your organisation has fallen off a cliff
Even small decisions feel completely overwhelming and impossible to make
You feel like you can’t properly relax, even at the weekend
You’re starting to feel detached from your life and work
The quality of your work has dropped
You’re experiencing regular physical symptoms of stress, whether that’s headaches or a nausea
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
MORE : Create your happiest year yet – how to be happier in 2023
MORE : The Big Happiness Interview: Janey Lee Grace on why living booze-free can make you happy
MORE : How I Made It: ‘I work on Christmas light installations all year round – they call me Mr. Christmas’
It’s tiring constantly striving for perfection.
