Complex with Kimberley Wilson Are you a perfectionist?
12 snips
Nov 5, 2025 
Dr. Sula Windgassen, a health psychologist and psychotherapist, tackles the intricacies of perfectionism. She defines it as the pursuit of unrelenting standards with negative repercussions, revealing its personal and clinical manifestations. Exploring its dual nature, Sula contrasts adaptive striving with harmful perfectionism, and shares key indicators like all-or-nothing thinking. She discusses its origins in childhood and personality traits. Dr. Windgassen also offers practical strategies to cultivate self-compassion, suggesting that letting go of perfectionism can enhance mental health without sacrificing success.
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Perfectionism’s False Promise
- Perfectionism doesn't deliver the benefits people assume and often harms well-being.
- Kimberley Wilson argues it fails to make you happier or more effective despite its PR.
Research Tabs And Tinkering
- Dr Sula Windgassen describes opening thousands of research tabs and overprocessing them.
- She uses this as a personal example of perfectionism driving unnecessary work.
Chasing Unreachable Standards
- Perfectionism is about pursuing unrelenting, intangible standards rather than an attainable 'perfect'.
- Sula notes we never objectively know when we've reached these standards, so the goal remains elusive.