Page 65 - March 2023

Women are tirelessly running behind a flawed and premature concept of perfection today. Perfectionism is celebrated, and people who somehow are unable to meet the societal standards of perfection are looked down upon.
When we talk about our weaknesses in job interviews, we give a fairly general and standard answer without doing much of a self-reflection. The pursuit of perfection is confused with the pursuit of happiness, and humans mindlessly keep running after the perfection they seek, without thinking whether it is what they want from life.
Once you start running after perfection, you start fearing what happens when you don’t achieve that perfection in life. The fear causes distress and forces you to think even more about who you are and what you are becoming. Like is the case with most fears, the fear of imperfections eventually takes over your ability to make rational decisions and choose what is best for you.
While most people cannot admit to or realize their flaws, someone suffering from the fear of imperfections would have no harm in doing so. They would find flaws in themselves and be terrified or even paralyzed by the thought of doing something wrong. Panic attacks become the norm, and they cannot pull themselves out of it. What starts as a means to become perfect eventually becomes a risk.
Some people consider themselves to be perfectionists of the highest order. They set their desks straight, reduce the clutter from their bedroom, and want things to be perfect. These people consider their pursuit of perfection to be an asset of sorts. They are not terrified by what the idea of perfection brings along with itself.
In this article, we look at the fear of imperfections, known as Atelophobia, and study its underlying causes. Stay with us for more details on what this condition brings and its signs and symptoms.
What Does Atelophobia Feel Like?
As is the case with every other phobia experienced by people, individuals suffering from atelophobia cannot focus on achieving things. They start avoiding experiences and things around them because they would rather stay home and do nothing than go outside and make a mistake.
People with atelophobia also spend a lot of time obsessing about their mistakes and the possible mistakes they can make in their life. These thoughts cause them to experience overwhelming anxiety, which eventually leads to nausea, panic, dizziness, and an increased heart rate. The more you focus on past mistakes or the possible mistakes you can make, the more pressure you put on yourself, leading your body into a potential panic attack.
The fear of imperfection eventually develops when their pursuit of perfection enters a frustrating spectrum where they avoid things and start putting themselves in undue emotional distress. Examples of avoiding things would be not going to a game bowling with your friends because you know you aren’t better than your friends at it, skipping a party at your friend’s home because your clothes aren’t fit for the event. These are just a few of the numerous scenarios you will encounter as part of atelophobia.
The condition of atelophobia can also lead you to constantly evaluate yourself in a negative light. Due to this negative light, you start to believe that you aren’t doing things in the right manner. As part of atelophobia, you might feel that things are going in a direction you cannot
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