Understand Your Perfectionism-Burnout Connection To Create a More Balanced Life

5 snips

Jul 13, 2025

Guest

Natalie Englander

Guest

Michaela Thomas

Join Michaela Thomas, a clinical psychologist and author specializing in perfectionism, and Natalie Englander, a senior CBT therapist who empowers perfectionists. They delve into the intricate ties between ADHD, perfectionism, and burnout, discussing how these patterns shape daily life. Key insights include the emotional toll of self-criticism, the link between self-worth and achievement, and the powerful role of mindfulness. They offer practical tools for reframing perfectionism and fostering self-compassion, paving the way for a more balanced life.

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INSIGHT

Perfectionism Ties Self-Worth to Achievement

Perfectionism in ADHD often ties self-worth to achievements, causing emotional volatility.
This creates procrastination, self-criticism, and mental health challenges like anxiety and depression.

INSIGHT

Perfectionism as ADHD Coping Mechanism

Perfectionism often develops as a coping mechanism for unrecognized ADHD struggles.
It can help manage ADHD symptoms but also cause shame and pressure, so balanced acceptance is key.

ADVICE

Manage Perfectionism with Reflection and Action

Explore the root and triggers of your perfectionism through reflection or journaling.
Manage one challenge at a time, celebrate small wins, and build on helpful perfectionist traits.

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In this week’s 'Wisdom' episode, we explore the connection between ADHD, perfectionism, and burnout, and how these patterns often shape our daily lives without us realising.

I've also written about this deeply personal topic in Chapter 6 (Prevent Burnout) of my upcoming new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit. On today's episode, we revisit conversations with Natalie Englander, an accredited senior CBT therapist and Michaela Thomas, a Clinical Psychologist, coach and author.

From procrastination and people-pleasing to self-criticism and the pressure to keep going, we unpack the emotional toll perfectionism can take. We also discuss practical tools like mindfulness and how reframing perfectionism with curiosity and compassion can help us work with our brains, not against them.

🌟 My new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit, is available to preorder here🌟

What You’ll Learn:

What perfectionism can look like in ADHD women - including procrastination, overthinking, people pleasing, self-criticism and imposter syndrome
The strong link between self-worth, achievement and burnout, and why this dynamic is so common in neurodivergent minds
How to reframe perfectionism so it becomes something you work with, rather than constantly fighting against
Why ADHD brains are more likely to fall into the boom and bust cycle, and how it can lead to burnout
Understanding the ADHD brain’s dopamine response and why pushing through isn’t always the answer
The reasons ADHD makes us more vulnerable to burnout, and how we can start making small, protective changes
How to use mindfulness and thought-challenging tools to quiet your inner critic and reduce feelings of shame
The power of self-compassion in making sense of your ADHD and building sustainable, supportive habits that actually work for you

Timestamps:

05:30 - Understanding Perfectionism and ADHD
07:37 - Considering the Root of Perfectionism in ADHD
14:56 - Using Mindfulness and Thought Checking as a Tool for Perfectionism
16:40 - Introduction to Michaela Thomas
17:33 - Discussing the Boom or Bust Cycle
20:42 - Navigating Burnout and Self-Care
27:31 - Finding Compassion for Understanding and Taking Action with ADHD

If you’re facing common ADHD challenges like perfectionism, imposter syndrome, people pleasing and procrastination, please know you're not alone. If you'd like to learn more about how to navigate burnout, you can watch Kate's latest workshop [here].

Links and Resources:

Missed our ADHD Women’s Summer Series? Get the Perfectionism and Procrastination workshop [here].
Preorder my book: The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit [here].
Join the Waitlist for my new ADHD community-first membership launching in September [here].
Find my popular ADHD webinars and resources on my website [here].
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled women newly diagnosed with ADHD find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity, and clarity.