Swap chasing perfectionism for embracing paradoxical thinking.
Do you find yourself using binary thinking and dramatic language — good/bad, black/white or all/nothing comparisons — to describe life's challenges? This habit is a hallmark of the perfectionist who finds refuge in a never-ending pendulum swing between blaming themselves and blaming others...
Over time, this kind of hair-triggered, reactionary plunge into binary thinking takes a toll on the central nervous system. The body's heightened stress response — now activated by an email or a text message or a glance — releases the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. According to research from Harvard, regular release of these hormones during the fight-or-flight response can take a toll on the body and lead to long-term negative health effects, not to mention compromising our ability to respond creatively and problem solve in the moment.
There is a way out, however: Swap chasing perfectionism for embracing paradoxical thinking.
When we embrace paradox, we move away from this binary into a new way of reacting that allows us to hold two opposite truths at the same time. We move from either/or thinking to a perspective that allows for both/and. This shift allows us to lead at the same time we follow, learn at the same time we teach, achieve success at the same time as we embrace imperfection...
Language is a dead giveaway for binary thinking. Dramatic, urgent language and good/bad binary language — words like "always," "never," "right," "wrong," "terrible," "last" — can often reveal you are trapped in the binary. Work to deescalate your language and find a new more helpful (unexaggerated) frame.
I couldn’t help thinking of Tumblr discourse when I read this, but that may not have been the intended audience. I def encourage reading the whole article and deciding for yourself if you find this kind of thing helpful.
(Although, you could basically call this cognitive dissonance instead of paradoxical thinking, sort of similar concepts, idk.)
