The Anxious Perfectionist: How to Manage Perfectionism-Driven Anxiety Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Spiral-Bound |

Clarissa W. Ong, Michael P. Twohig, Randy O. Frost (Foreword by)

★★★★☆+ from 101 to 500 ratings

$20.07 - Free Shipping
People who identify as perfectionists don’t always see their perfectionism as a problem. But they do recognize that their pursuit of perfection can lead to stress, worry, and anxiety. Written by two clinical psychologists, The Anxious Perfectionist addresses the hidden costs of “being the best,” and offers readers essential skills based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for coping with the anxiety that is driven by their perfectionism. With this guide, readers will learn to stop getting in the way of their own success, and live a life guided by their deepest values.

Is your perfectionism causing you anxiety, stress, and worry?

If you identify as a perfectionist, you may not see your perfectionism as a problem. But striving for unrealistic standards, basing your self-worth on meeting those standards, and engaging in persistent self-criticism will ultimately lead to anxiety, stress, worry, burnout, and unhappiness. So, how can you distinguish between “helpful” and “hurtful” perfectionism and stop holding yourself and others to unrealistically high standards?

Written by two clinical psychologists, The Anxious Perfectionist shines a much-needed light on the hidden costs of “being the best,” and offers essential skills based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you cope with the anxiety that is driven by your perfectionism. You’ll learn how your “need to be perfect” can actually hinder your productivity, and keep you from reaching your goals. You’ll also learn skills to help you gain distance from negative self-talk and criticism, let go of unhelpful and self-limiting labels such as “success” or “failure,” and give yourself and others permission to make mistakes while still honoring your high aspirations.

If you’re struggling with feelings of anxiety and stress, and suspect your perfectionism may be to blame, this guide will show you how to stop getting in the way of your own success, and live a life guided by your deepest values.

Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 160 pages
ISBN-10: 1684038456
Item Weight: 0.44 lbs
Dimensions: 6.0 x 0.4 x 9.0 inches
Customer Reviews: 4 out of 5 stars 101 to 500 ratings
“This eminently readable and relatable book illuminates the path to freedom for those on a quixotic quest for perfectionism. The authors guide the reader in understanding how perfectionism fails as a formula for living one’s life, and endorse action consistent with values rather than feelings. So, if you or a loved one have perfectionism, or you provide care for those who do, this is without question a ‘must-have’ for your library.”
—Nancy Keuthen, PhD, associate professor at Harvard Medical School; and chief psychologist at the Center for OCD and Related Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital
-Nancy Keuthen, PhD

Clarissa W. Ong, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. She received her doctoral degree in clinical/counseling psychology from Utah State University, and completed her clinical internship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Her research interests include acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), process-based therapy, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), hoarding disorder, and perfectionism. She has contributed to more than sixty peer-reviewed publications and a book. She has also received funding from the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS).

Michael P. Twohig, PhD, is well known for his work in ACT and OCD, which is closely related to perfectionism. Twohig is professor in the psychology department at Utah State University. He is past president of the ACBS, and a current member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). He has written more than 170 peer-reviewed publications, seven books, and has received funding from many organizations, including the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Foreword writer Randy O. Frost, PhD, teaches abnormal psychology at Smith College in Northampton, MA. He is coauthor of Buried in Treasures.