One of the distorted mindsets that drives patterns of OCD is perfectionism. I personally believe that every OCD sufferer will have to do business with some level of perfectionism issues in their life. But even if you are not struggling with OCD, perfectionism can certainly infect your thinking. 

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My Perfectionism Realization

One of the initial observations that helped my discernment in uncovering OCD patterns in my life was realizing the toll perfectionism had taken on my life. One day while doing some research, the symptoms of a perfectionist hit me like a flood. I sat back in my chair and realized, “Wow. I am a perfectionist.”

As I began to teach on perfectionism, many people began to tell me, “Are you reading my mind? Are you a prophet who can tell what I am thinking? You are basically describing my day to day life.”

Other people had no idea how perfectionism was influencing their life. 

Misunderstanding Perfectionism:

To this day, I will have people in a coaching session say, “I don’t have any perfectionism.” When in reality, their OCD struggles or day to day pressures they live under reveal massive places where the bondage of perfectionism is keeping them in unrest. 

They think because they may not be a neat freak or a super high achiever, then they must not be perfectionistic. 

Perfectionism is not just about high achieving performers . . .I

Perfectionism within OCD is about an internal nagging feeling that things are not “just right.” They don’t “feel just right” and they chase that feeling whenever it comes up.

Perfectionism fuels a sense of anxiety over things not feeling right. There is this nagging feeling of “incompleteness” and “uneasiness” that needs “fixing.” 

To get your thoughts “just right”

To get your spiritual life “just right”

To make sure the person you are marrying is “just right” for you

To make sure your inner righteousness is “just right” 

To make sure your house is organized and cleaned “just right.” 

To make sure your thought arrangement feels “just right.” 

The problem is this nagging “just right” feeling you are chasing never ends. The more you feed them, the more they will grow and hold you captive. 

Perfectionism in OCD keeps finding new things to point to that are not “just right.” Think you solve one and another one shows up. The feelings point to another thing that is not “just right,” so you bounce through all kinds of subjects in your thinking that are not “just right.” 

Perfectionism will always leave you unsettled. Meanwhile, it will drive you into all kinds of mental arguments, debates and behavioral patterns (compulsions) with the deception that by doing these things, you will land into peace and certainty. But it is a lie. An illusion. 

Perfectionists struggle in working through their emotions, especially because they don’t make room for weakness, struggle, flaws. Their focus is fix. 

I can tell a perfectionist right off the bat with their “fix” this mentality. You don’t get fixed. You need to learn to be loved and work through your emotions in a healthy way. 

OCD and Perfectionistic Pressure

Pressure often steals your peace and perfectionism creates pressure within. 

The way to begin identifying perfectionism is to locate the places of pressure in your thoughts. Emotional pressure that is put upon you by outside influences, your upbringing and how you yourself seek to feel safe and settled. 

Perfectionists can range from high level Type A achievers to the person, who in their day to day thoughts, cannot settle unless things feel “just right.” Most people will admit they struggle at the end of the day to feel they can land. They are troubled with constant feelings of things “not feeling right.” 

Issues Underlying Perfectionism