Perfectionism: Why It Happens — the Method's View

When we say "perfectionism," the first thing to do is sort out the term itself. It does not belong to classical psychiatry — it is a mainstream word into which everyone pours their own meaning. The doctor deliberately treats such words with a touch of irony, to show that they are too subjective and need context; otherwise they become an empty "basket" into which everything gets thrown — the way it once happened with the word "depression."

Why the term "perfectionism" explains nothing

What is perfectionism, really? Compulsive? Over-thoroughness? You can feel it yourself: this is not a professional term. The doctor's early videos about the word "depression" had exactly this purpose — to show that you cannot label everything with a single word, that context must be added. Perfectionism is the same story: the label is stuck on, but what is actually going on underneath remains unclear.

What actually happens: "doing, doing, doing"

Behind what people call perfectionism there is often a simple mechanism: a person does, does, does — and does not stop in time. The doctor offers an image: at first "we started feeding him, feeding, feeding," and then it turns out it should not have been done that way — "it grows," "it won't dissolve anymore." In other words, endless piling up of effort without measure produces not a better result, but an accumulated problem.

The key is the rhythm of effort and rest

The most important observation: the quality of what you do depends on your state. When you are rested — everything is fine, you "throw out" less, you redo less. When you are already completely worn out — then you throw everything away. So excessive demands on the result often turn out not to be a character trait, but a signal that you are working on empty, without recovery.

The method's principle: simpler, shorter, no multi-step schemes

The doctor's method is the opposite of endless complication. "Multi-step schemes" are not needed: there should be as little and as short as possible — you do it and immediately get the return. This is also visible in the doctor's teaching approach: first theory, then practice right away, so a person lives the benefit and locks in the reflex — "when you do something, open something, then you get better qualities of life." Perfectionist logic is the opposite: endless strain without that moment where there is a payoff and a return.

Practice

A checklist drawn from the doctor's logic — how to tell useful effort from exhausting "doing, doing":

1. Ask yourself: am I rested right now, or already worn out? Assess your state first, not the result.
2. Notice: when you are tired, you "throw out" and redo more. That is a signal to stop, not to work even harder.
3. Look for the return: where is the real plus, the win, the applicability in what you are doing? If effort gives no benefit, it is a "multi-step scheme."
4. Make it shorter: do it — and get the result right away, without piling on extra steps.
5. Remember the image of "feeding, feeding, feeding": excess effort does not improve things, it accumulates into a problem.