Cognitive restructuring
'Cognition' is a word used to denote a thought or belief, and 'restructuring' involves challenging a cognition by looking at the evidence for or against it. The basic idea behind cognitive restructuring is that thoughts themselves are not facts; you need to consider whether the thoughts you are having are true and to consider whether there are any other ways to thinking about a particular situation. At first this can be a real challenge: we often believe what we think and don't question our own thoughts. However, often our thinking is biased, and with perfectionism it can be biased towards thinking too negatively and harshly about yourself.
Why change?
Do you want to change your perfectionism? Despite dealing with some of the negative effects of perfectionism, you might find this a difficult question to answer. One of the issues with overcoming perfectionism is the worry that this will force you to give up or lower your standards. Lowering standards is unappealing and can be a major turn-off from trying to tackle perfectionism.
Below are examples of the kinds of concerns you might have about lowering your standards. There is space at the bottom to add your own unique concerns which might not be listed here. Alternatively, write your concerns on pen and paper to keep a record of them for future sessions:​
If I lower my standards, I will not like myself.
If I lower my standards, I will become lazy.
If I lower my standards, I will not achieve.
If I lower my standards, others will think less of me.
If I lower my standards, I will be overwhelmed with anxiety.