It’s easy to wear the badge of being a perfectionist with pride. After all, it’s your perfectionism that probably served you well in building a successful business. Your attention to detail, relentless work ethic, and drive to exceed expectations likely helped you stand out, build trust, and grow quickly.
But what happens when those same traits begin to weigh you down? What happens when the need to get everything perfect or to please everyone becomes less of an asset and more of a health hazard?
Here’s the hard truth: Perfectionism and people-pleasing are not sustainable habits. Over time, they chip away at your mental and physical health, leaving you overwhelmed, burnt out, and disconnected from yourself. And no, success doesn’t require you to sacrifice your well-being.
In fact, embracing the idea that good enough really is good enough can free you up to do your best work, prioritize yourself, and show up stronger for your business and your life. As one who has been there, I can tell you I wish I understood how perfectionism was affecting my body and my health.
In this blog, I break down three reasons why being a perfectionist and people-pleaser is bad for your health—and what you can do about it.
1. Perfectionism Leads to Chronic Stress and Burnout
Perfectionists set impossibly high standards for themselves—and often, for the people around them. If you’re constantly revising, tweaking, and overthinking every email, proposal, or social media caption, you know exactly what this feels like. You tell yourself it has to be flawless, but that drive for perfection comes at a cost.
How Perfectionism Triggers Stress:
- Endless Work Cycles: When you’re never satisfied with your output, you end up working late nights and long weekends to make everything “perfect.” You’re never truly done.
- Fear of Failure: The pressure to get it right creates a constant fear of making mistakes. This fear activates your body’s stress response—pumping out adrenaline and cortisol, which can lead to anxiety and overwhelm.
- Decision Fatigue: Perfectionists often struggle to make decisions, worried that the “wrong” choice will have catastrophic consequences. This mental load can exhaust you.
Over time, living in a state of chronic stress can weaken your immune system, increase your risk of heart disease, and cause sleep problems. It’s not just a mental weight—it’s a physical one too.
What To Do Instead:
Learn to embrace progress over perfection. Done is better than perfect. Repeat that as your new mantra. Set deadlines for projects that are attainable and not going to run you into the ground and hold yourself accountable to them—even if things feel “imperfect.” Trust that good work, delivered on time, is more impactful than perfect work that comes at the cost of your health.
2. People-Pleasing Leads to Resentment and Exhaustion
If you’re a people-pleaser, saying “no” feels like the hardest thing in the world. You want your clients to be happy, your team to feel supported, and your family to feel prioritized. You might even say “yes” when you don’t want to, simply to avoid letting anyone down.
But here’s what happens: every time you prioritize someone else’s needs above your own, you put yourself on the back burner. Overcommitting leaves you drained, stretched thin, and secretly [or in some cases, not so secretly] resentful. And while you might look like you’re holding it all together on the outside, inside you’re crumbling.
How This Impacts Your Health:
- Overwhelm and Fatigue: Constantly saying yes creates an endless to-do list. Your body can only run on adrenaline for so long before burnout kicks in.
- Emotional Resentment: Bottling up your feelings (because you want to keep the peace) can lead to frustration, irritability, and even symptoms of depression.
- Lack of Boundaries: Without clear boundaries, you end up giving away your time and energy to others, leaving nothing left for yourself. This contributes to exhaustion and mental fog.
What To Do Instead:
Start by setting small, healthy boundaries. Practice saying “no” to things that don’t align with your goals or energy level. If you struggle with this, try saying, “Let me think about it and get back to you.” That buys you time to decide what’s best for you.
Remember: You don’t have to be everything to everyone. You are allowed to prioritize yourself. Saying “no” to others is often saying “yes” to your well-being.
3. Both Traits Disconnect You from Your Needs
When you’re laser-focused on perfection or trying to make everyone around you happy, it’s easy to lose touch with yourself. You spend so much energy meeting external expectations that you stop asking:
- What do I need right now?
- How do I feel about this?
- Does this serve me, my values, and my vision?
The more you ignore your internal needs, the more likely you are to experience burnout, poor emotional health, and physical symptoms like headaches, chronic fatigue, or digestive issues.
The Health Impact of Ignoring Yourself:
- Neglecting Self-Care: When you’re busy meeting everyone else’s needs or perfecting every little detail, you neglect essential habits like sleep, exercise, and proper nutrition.
- Emotional Disconnect: Perfectionism and people-pleasing often mask deeper emotions, like fear, insecurity, or unworthiness. Ignoring these feelings prevents you from truly addressing them.
- Loss of Joy: When your day-to-day revolves around what others think or getting it just right, there’s no space for spontaneity, creativity, or joy.
What To Do Instead:
Reconnect with yourself by prioritizing your needs and honoring what feels good. Build a daily or weekly habit of checking in: How am I really doing today? Incorporate activities that fill you up emotionally, mentally, and physically—whether that’s taking a long walk, journaling, or simply saying no to things that don’t bring you joy. Remember: Your business will only thrive if you are thriving.
I recommend checking out my popular 5-Minute Daily Ritual
Perfectionism Isn’t Required For Success
Here’s the bottom line: The relentless pursuit of perfection and the constant need to please others doesn’t lead to success—it leads to burnout. It leads to stress, resentment, and a life where you come last.
You don’t need to sacrifice your health or well-being for your business. You don’t need to operate in a constant state of exhaustion just to prove your worth. Success doesn’t require perfection. Good enough really is good enough.
And when you let go of perfection and people-pleasing, you make space for so much more:
- Peace of mind.
- Better relationships.
- Time for yourself.
- More creativity and freedom in your business.
So, here’s your invitation: Release the need to over-deliver, over-perfect, and over-commit. Focus on what truly matters, and trust yourself to know when enough is enough. Your health, your happiness, and your business will thank you for it.
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