“You have to run as fast as you can just to stay in place, but to get somewhere, you have to run at least twice as fast!” “Alice in Wonderland” And this is precisely about the desire for the best, which can both move forward and lead to stress and burnout. In my opinion, advanced training for a psychologist can be an excellent example of constructive perfectionism. Training gives you a second wind, helps you go deeper and see new facets in a familiar topic. I recently completed a program at the Institute of Additional Professional Education on the topic “CBT in achieving life success: goal setting, planning, self-regulation, overcoming internal obstacles.” *CBT - cognitive behavioral approach I specialize primarily in career guidance, career issues, barriers that arise in activity. I am often approached by clients who are very conscientious, responsible and are experiencing difficulties due to their own perfectionism - the desire for perfection, ideality in terms of demands on themselves and their results. In advanced training classes they talked about the fact that perfectionism can be healthy and painful. And our task is to use the strengths of perfectionism and reduce the negative influence. We work with self-blame, change the requirements for our results from “ideal, flawless, and unattainable” to “good enough and realistic.” How is constructive perfectionism different from destructive? The ability to enjoy the process of activity, A flexible approach in terms of the demands placed on oneself (the situation is taken into account ), The main goal is not to gain the approval of others, but to bring benefit (the focus is not on myself, but on those for whom I am trying), In case of failure, new efforts are made to achieve the goal, and not harsh self-criticism. How can I apply my new knowledge in practical work? Help clients assess and develop skills to manage their emotional state and think through problems in a constructive way. Namely: by observing yourself, you can become more aware of your experiences and beliefs that prevent you from being effective, learn to formulate an alternative interpretation of the situation that does not cause acute emotional experiences and helps you act, in cases of severe stress, help yourself regain composure, support yourself and notice your even small successes and progress towards the goal, plan your actions more effectively. *Image from benzoix on Freepik Perfectionism, procrastination, self-doubt, career guidance, career development Sign up for online and face-to-face consultations in St. Petersburg: WhatsApp +7 911 974-11-01 , Telegram: Psy_Natalia_Zhukova Free online meeting-acquaintance is possible.