Once you’ve got into a college, you have entered a highly competitive world where good and apparent results mean a great deal. Getting good grades, looking tip-top, having a rich social life are what all college students strive for. But it often comes at a very high price, and a lot of young people feel a heavy load on their shoulders. Our tip would be not to pursue perfection, but embrace your limitations. Instead of wasting your effort on doing your home assignment flawlessly, just do it as good as you can. Sounds confusing? Let us explain.
“Why shouldn’t I do my statistics homework like a perfectionist?”
Trust us, there is no reward for being a perfectionist. On the contrary, the studies have shown that students who try too hard to perform ideally usually end up having health problems. Anxiety, depression, eating or sleeping disorders are a price they pay for their fault-finding. But the worst news is that there is a positive relationship between perfectionism and suicide.
Everyone has a desire to be better than others, even in such things as statistics assignments. But worrying about whether it’s going to be impeccable won’t do you any good. Moreover, it actually distracts you from just focusing on your homework and doing it as good as you can, and then switching to another task. If you’re suffering from perfectionism, you need a new healthy approach to completing your homework.
“So what can I do about it?”
Be realistic about your capabilities. You might be really strong at something, but lacking at other things. This is absolutely normal. If you struggle with statistics, but are good at gender studies or, say, writing, that’s just how you are. Be honest with yourself and don’t try to reverse it. You might go harder on your stats homework, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Be compassionate to yourself.
Don’t be afraid of the failure. We go to college to learn. And every little defeat can be used as a lesson. You’ve probably heard a saying that “the only ones who don’t fail are the ones who don’t try”. It’s actually true. In the end, it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve tripped on your way, it’s more important whether you’ve reached your final destination.
Remember that perfectionism is different from striving towards excellence. In the first case, you feel anxiety, as if you “can’t make a single mistake,” or else some disaster happens. This thinking pattern is very resource-consuming. It’s like trying to reach the stars with your bare hands. Why doing this if one can become an astronaut? In the case of pursuit-for-excellence, you just focus on doing your best by using your resources in efficient manner to achieve a certain (realistic) goal.
If perfectionism has damaged you enough, given you anxiety or a sleeping disorder, you should go to a counseling center at your college. If not, stop wagering too much on each of your statistics home assignments, especially if you don’t have an inclination towards the subject. Better do it as good as you can, while focusing more eagerly on something you feel passionate about.