The perfection trap: do you feel 'good enough'?
Aiming for perfection: striving for success or risking our mental health?
All in the Mind · BBC Radio 4
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Show Notes
It's not only the headliners at Glastonbury and winners at Wimbledon who strive for perfection in their lives. Psychologist Dr Tom Curran says people in all walks of life are prone to believing they're not quite "good enough". The pressure to be perfect can come from inside ourselves or from society, via social media as well as our friends and family. He says perfectionism isn't about doing things faultlessly - it's about feeling that you are never good enough even if you get a gold medal.
Tom Curran is a perfectionist himself and experienced burnout because of pressure from unachievable goals. Our studio guest Dr Peter Olusoga who's a sports psychologist says burnt-out athletes can end up withdrawing from their sport and resenting their coach if too much emphasis is placed on winning, instead of a more holistic approach. He also talks about how a study of teenagers at specialist "talent" schools in Norway might help to identify when students are under too much pressure as they try to balance practice with academic work and friendships.
The last All in the Mind Awards finalist is Trinia - a community psychiatric nurse who supported Rae even when she was rude to her. Trinia's persistence paid off - helping Rae to get an allotment and start painting has made her feel like life is worth living again.