Perfectionism Workbook for Teens

Dobosz, Ann Marie

• Publisher: Instant Help
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781626254558

Unhealthy perfectionism can result in low self-esteem, severe anxiety, and self-destructive behavior—and teens are especially vulnerable. Based in proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this workbook will help you develop the self-compassion and mindfulness tools you need to counteract the negative effects of perfectionism and develop new, healthy skills for boosting your self-confidence.

In our high-pressure society, it's easy to hold ourselves (and others) to impossibly high standards. And when we fail to meet those standards—as we inevitably do—we may become overly critical of ourselves, or lash out toward others. While perfectionism is often associated with positive traits, such as conscientiousness, ambition, and pride in good work, dysfunctional perfectionism is destructive and can lead to anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship problems, and a number of mental health concerns, like depression, procrastination, and self-harm.

With The Perfectionism Workbook for Teens, you'll gain a clear understanding of what perfectionism is and learn to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy perfectionism so you'll be better able to manage your own and others' expectations. Using powerful tools drawn from cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based therapies, you'll learn to identify your perfectionist thoughts, discover new ways of responding to your critical inner voice, and build the skills you need to combat negative behaviors based in perfectionism, like chronic procrastination.

If perfectionism is causing trouble in your life, the techniques and exercises in this book will help you develop non-perfectionist skills and habits, leading to reduced fear, anxiety, and shame, and increased self-compassion and confidence in getting things done and handling daily pressures.

Table of contents

• Introduction
• 1. Defining Perfectionism
• 2. What Perfectionism Feels Like
• 3. What Perfectionism Looks Like
• 4. There’s More to School Than Grades
• 5. Messages From Family: Carrying the Perfectionist Torch
• 6. Gender and Perfectionism
• 7. Thinking Critically About Cultural Messages
• 8. Appearances Deceive
• 9. The Biology of Perfectionism
• 10. Worrying Doesn’t Cause Success
• 11. It’s Okay to Make Mistakes
• 12. Perfectionism and Self­Esteem
• 13. Never Good Enough?
• 14. Learning to Accept a Compliment
• 15. The Power of Apology
• 16. Focusing on the Journey, Not the Destination
• 17. You Don’t Have to Be Good at Everything
• 18. Identifying Your Perfectionistic Thinking Habits
• 19. Healthy Ways to Motivate Yourself
• 20. What’s Your Story?
• 21. Thoughts Aren’t Always True
• 22. Identifying What Triggers Your Perfectionism
• 23. Getting to Know Your Inner Perfectionist
• 24. How Is Your Inner Perfectionist Trying to Help?
• 25. How Do You Respond to Your Inner Perfectionist?
• 26. Talking Back to the Voice of Perfectionism
• 27. Changing Your Emotional Response to Perfectionism
• 28. Standing Up to Your Perfectionism
• 29. How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
• 30. How to Have Realistic Expectations of Others
• 31. Changing the Way You Handle Pressure
• 32. Avoiding the Avoidance Trap
• 33. Don’t Take It Personally
• 34. Facing Procrastination
• 35. Setting Goals
• 36. It’s Okay to Ask for Help
• 37. Noticing Your Strengths
• 38. Pulling It Together
• My Perfectionism Toolkit
• A Letter to My Future Self